The lawmaker who represented Abia North senatorial district in the 8th Assembly, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, believes Nigeria has nothing to gain from open grazing at this time.
He also commended the recent prohibition of the movement of cattle by foot in the South by governors in the region.
Speaking on Thursday when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Senator Ohuabunwa decried the loss of lives in the South as a result of the clashes between herders and local farmers.
He said, ”Open grazing should stop, it is the right time to stop it because it is not doing us any good in this country today, and because of the limitless of land space, there has always been this fight between the herders and the farmers and the only way to stop it is to ask that we stop open grazing and make a law.”
State governors in the South met on Tuesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital where they resolved to ban open grazing and movement of cattle by foot in the region.
They put aside their political differences and called for the restructuring of the country along with fiscal federalism, devolution of powers, and state policing, among other demands.
The governors had also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation and convene a national dialogue to address the agitations by various groups in the region.
While describing the action of the governors as a welcome development, Senator Ohuabunwa stressed the need to take a further step by legalising the ban on open grazing in the region.
Speaking about his expectations, he stated, “After the meeting, each state of the South should send an executive bill to their respective House of Assembly to give legal backing to the ban.
“For me, it is the right way to go because this fight has been on for a while between the herders and the farmers and that has created so much security problems in the south, particularly, and I think this is the time to nip the problem in the bud.”
