Is Fayose’s anti-grazing law right?

The Ekiti State’s anti-grazing law is a right move to check the
excesses of herdsmen, especially when one considers what has been
happening in the country in the past few years. Farmers and
villagers have suffered many losses as a result of herdsmen’s
activities.

In other parts of the world, cattle rearers acquire land to
develop ranches. But what we have in Nigeria is different. If other
states go the Ekiti way, it would go a long way to curb the
excesses of cattle rearers.

If we do not regulate the herdsmen, they would continue to kill
framers and destroy their farms. That would be bad for the country.
You cannot leave your state and go to another to destroy people’s
properties because you want to sustain your business.

If the Federal Government does not want to do anything, the
states should act fast before things get out of hands. Governor Ayo
Fayose has demonstrated leadership. It is left for other governors
to do the same thing to protect their people.

I do not think there is anything controversial about the
anti-grazing law passed by the Ekiti State Government. What the
state government has done is commendable.

I think it is high time the Federal Government put a law in
place to regulate grazing in the country. If the Federal Government
would not do that, other states should follow the Ekiti State
Government example. I would be glad if other states enact a similar
law and implement it. Nigerians have witnessed pains inflicted by
herdsmen.

Nobody, except those with a mischievous motive, should disagree
with the Ekiti State law. However, I feel charging herdsmen with
terrorism for carrying light weapons amounts to taking the issue to
the extreme.

The Ekiti State Government is the first to enact such a law. I
think Nigerians should commend Governor Ayo Fayose for his courage.
A governor is the first security officer of any state. If the law
would stop the herdsmen from killing the residents of the state, it
is welcome.

I only hope Fayose does not intend to go against the efforts of
the Federal Government towards finding a lasting solution to the
killings by herdsmen. He should know that President Muhammadu
Buhari has a final say on the issue of national security.

If the Federal Government comes up with a conflicting law, it
means the Editi law on grazing would become invalid.

But honestly, I think the Federal Government has to find a
solution to the killings by herdsmen. Cattle rearers should be
cautioned because the residents of their host communities cannot
continue to tolerate their excesses.

It is very unfortunate that the Ekiti State Government is taking
the first major step towards addressing the issue while the Federal
Government chooses to continue to play politics with it. The
Federal Government needs to do something urgent about the
problem.

I think the law would go a long way in reducing the menace of
herdsmen in the state. But it may not solve the problem. I also do
not think the Ekiti State Government should charge herdsmen that
break the law with terrorism. They could be charged with arm
possession. Carrying arms is not a sufficient reason to charge an
individual with terrorism.

Also, the terrorism dimension could make some people to give the
law and Fayose’s intention a different interpretation. If the state
government could expunge the aspect of terrorism from the law, I
think the law is a good move.

As each state government has the responsibility to ensure the
safety of its indigenes, the law is not a bad one. Other states are
expected to emulate the Ekiti State Government example. I do not
think the herdsmen would pretend that they are not aware of the
law. What this means is that it is no long business as usual for
them (the herdsmen). If they destroy farms or kill in the name of
grazing, the law should take its course. The government should not
stop at passing the law alone; it should implement it fully as
well. That is the only thing that can make a difference.

First, I commend the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, for
ensuring that the law was passed. It is long overdue. I believe
each state government has the power to stop any wrongdoing in its
domain in order to protect lives and properties. The herdsmen are
not different from the Boko Haram sect or the militants. They
kidnap, kill and even burn villages, both in the North and the
South. The experience of Chief Olu Falae is still fresh in my
memory. Why shouldn’t a responsible government do something to
regulate such a people?

If the Ekiti State Government can ensure strict implementation
of the law, I believe the people in the state would live in peace.
Those who are opposing the law should know that the state
government has a responsibility to protect Ekiti residents.

The anti-grazing bill is a good idea and any herdsman that goes
against it should  be prosecuted. A state government is
expected to know what is good for the indigenes of its state. The
law was duly passed by Ekiti lawmakers, who were elected by the
people of the state. So, what is the worry of those who are
criticising from outside the state? Fulani herdsmen have wreaked
more havoc on the country than any other group in the past one
year. I support any action taken by any state government to check
their activities. Is it not surprising that President Muhammadu
Buhari has failed to take an appropriate action to protect Nigerian
farmers against the menace of herdsmen? They have killed, raped
women, kidnapped and robbed in almost every state. Yet, the Federal
Government pretends the problem is trivial.

The style of Governor Ayodele Fayose makes it difficult to tell
if the new law of the Ekiti State Government is in the interest of
the people or targeted at spiting the Presidency whose body
language does not seem to be in agreement with the banning of open
grazing.

Neatly buried under the grazing controversy is our ethnic
intolerance. Cattle taken to the South by northern herdsmen for
grazing are primarily seen as assets belonging to the North, but
southerners should realise that they also benefit by eating the
meat of the cattle. In this light, southerners should exhibit some
level of tolerance.

Some people think herdsmen should not have a space in the South.
Lagos alone consumes about 5,000 cows daily.

Meanwhile, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
Nigeria has continued to explain that some criminals are
masquerading as herdsmen. There are criminals in every trade or
profession. But we seem to ignore that fact when it comes to the
issue of grazing.

I think we need to go down the memory lane to review how we
maintained peace among the diverse ethnic groups in the past. There
is more to the law than meets the eye.

(Compiled by Geoff Iyatse and Adewale
Ogungbemi)

Copyright PUNCH. 

The post Is Fayose’s anti-grazing law right? appeared
first on Welcome to 9jalegal – Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information
and Services Portal.

The Ekiti State’s anti-grazing law is a right move to check the
excesses of herdsmen, especially when one considers what has been
happening in the country in the past few years. Farmers and
villagers have suffered many losses as a result of herdsmen’s
activities.

In other parts of the world, cattle rearers acquire land to
develop ranches. But what we have in Nigeria is different. If other
states go the Ekiti way, it would go a long way to curb the
excesses of cattle rearers.

If we do not regulate the herdsmen, they would continue to kill
framers and destroy their farms. That would be bad for the country.
You cannot leave your state and go to another to destroy people’s
properties because you want to sustain your business.

If the Federal Government does not want to do anything, the
states should act fast before things get out of hands. Governor Ayo
Fayose has demonstrated leadership. It is left for other governors
to do the same thing to protect their people.

I do not think there is anything controversial about the
anti-grazing law passed by the Ekiti State Government. What the
state government has done is commendable.

I think it is high time the Federal Government put a law in
place to regulate grazing in the country. If the Federal Government
would not do that, other states should follow the Ekiti State
Government example. I would be glad if other states enact a similar
law and implement it. Nigerians have witnessed pains inflicted by
herdsmen.

Nobody, except those with a mischievous motive, should disagree
with the Ekiti State law. However, I feel charging herdsmen with
terrorism for carrying light weapons amounts to taking the issue to
the extreme.

The Ekiti State Government is the first to enact such a law. I
think Nigerians should commend Governor Ayo Fayose for his courage.
A governor is the first security officer of any state. If the law
would stop the herdsmen from killing the residents of the state, it
is welcome.

I only hope Fayose does not intend to go against the efforts of
the Federal Government towards finding a lasting solution to the
killings by herdsmen. He should know that President Muhammadu
Buhari has a final say on the issue of national security.

If the Federal Government comes up with a conflicting law, it
means the Editi law on grazing would become invalid.

But honestly, I think the Federal Government has to find a
solution to the killings by herdsmen. Cattle rearers should be
cautioned because the residents of their host communities cannot
continue to tolerate their excesses.

It is very unfortunate that the Ekiti State Government is taking
the first major step towards addressing the issue while the Federal
Government chooses to continue to play politics with it. The
Federal Government needs to do something urgent about the
problem.

I think the law would go a long way in reducing the menace of
herdsmen in the state. But it may not solve the problem. I also do
not think the Ekiti State Government should charge herdsmen that
break the law with terrorism. They could be charged with arm
possession. Carrying arms is not a sufficient reason to charge an
individual with terrorism.

Also, the terrorism dimension could make some people to give the
law and Fayose’s intention a different interpretation. If the state
government could expunge the aspect of terrorism from the law, I
think the law is a good move.

As each state government has the responsibility to ensure the
safety of its indigenes, the law is not a bad one. Other states are
expected to emulate the Ekiti State Government example. I do not
think the herdsmen would pretend that they are not aware of the
law. What this means is that it is no long business as usual for
them (the herdsmen). If they destroy farms or kill in the name of
grazing, the law should take its course. The government should not
stop at passing the law alone; it should implement it fully as
well. That is the only thing that can make a difference.

First, I commend the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, for
ensuring that the law was passed. It is long overdue. I believe
each state government has the power to stop any wrongdoing in its
domain in order to protect lives and properties. The herdsmen are
not different from the Boko Haram sect or the militants. They
kidnap, kill and even burn villages, both in the North and the
South. The experience of Chief Olu Falae is still fresh in my
memory. Why shouldn’t a responsible government do something to
regulate such a people?

If the Ekiti State Government can ensure strict implementation
of the law, I believe the people in the state would live in peace.
Those who are opposing the law should know that the state
government has a responsibility to protect Ekiti residents.

The anti-grazing bill is a good idea and any herdsman that goes
against it should  be prosecuted. A state government is
expected to know what is good for the indigenes of its state. The
law was duly passed by Ekiti lawmakers, who were elected by the
people of the state. So, what is the worry of those who are
criticising from outside the state? Fulani herdsmen have wreaked
more havoc on the country than any other group in the past one
year. I support any action taken by any state government to check
their activities. Is it not surprising that President Muhammadu
Buhari has failed to take an appropriate action to protect Nigerian
farmers against the menace of herdsmen? They have killed, raped
women, kidnapped and robbed in almost every state. Yet, the Federal
Government pretends the problem is trivial.

The style of Governor Ayodele Fayose makes it difficult to tell
if the new law of the Ekiti State Government is in the interest of
the people or targeted at spiting the Presidency whose body
language does not seem to be in agreement with the banning of open
grazing.

Neatly buried under the grazing controversy is our ethnic
intolerance. Cattle taken to the South by northern herdsmen for
grazing are primarily seen as assets belonging to the North, but
southerners should realise that they also benefit by eating the
meat of the cattle. In this light, southerners should exhibit some
level of tolerance.

Some people think herdsmen should not have a space in the South.
Lagos alone consumes about 5,000 cows daily.

Meanwhile, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of
Nigeria has continued to explain that some criminals are
masquerading as herdsmen. There are criminals in every trade or
profession. But we seem to ignore that fact when it comes to the
issue of grazing.

I think we need to go down the memory lane to review how we
maintained peace among the diverse ethnic groups in the past. There
is more to the law than meets the eye.

(Compiled by Geoff Iyatse and Adewale
Ogungbemi)

Copyright PUNCH. 

The post Is Fayose’s anti-grazing law right? appeared
first on Welcome to 9jalegal – Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information
and Services Portal.