Open grazing prohibition: Senator asks Attorney General to tread with caution

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Ajibola Basiru, has taken a swipe at the statement credited to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Alhaji Abubakar Malami (SAN), over his argument of equating open grazing with southerners selling spare parts in the North.
Basiru who said he is speaking in his personal capacity as a patriot and Senator said “it was not dignifying of the status of the Nation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice to make such remarks.
The Senator said “equating the activities of archaic nomadic herdsmen destroying peoples means of livelihood with others legitimately carrying on businesses by selling spare parts in their shops stands logic on its head.
He noted that perhaps, the Attorney General of the Federation forgot that Nigeria is a federal system with the states governments empowered to make and implement laws for the peace, order and good government of or any part of their respective state.
He said this power is derived from the Constitution, on which the Land Use Act, vested on the Governors the management of all land within the territory of the state.
He challenged the AGF to cite relevant sections of the constitution which allowed the herders to trespass on other people’s land and destroy the crops in the guise of freedom of movement, adding that AGF’s comment is less than patriotic.
He observed that the quest to promote unity and prosperity of Nigeria is the utmost responsibility of the government, adding that actions of persons in authority must be seen to protect the corporate existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Senator noted that the statement of the Attorney General is one capable of derailing the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria and therefore called for the immediate removal from office of the AGF, saying “anyone who cannot rise above primordial sentiments and pursuit of parochial ethnic agenda need not occupy position of trust especially at this time of sectional agitations”.
The Senator therefore advised those who have no meaningful contributions to national discourse operating on the basis of equity and justice to keep quiet and stop rubbishing the Buhari led APC government.