Buhari’s cow routes gazette doesn’t exist, grazing ban stays, say states

By Sunday Aborisade, John Charles, Matthew Ochei, Peter Dada, Ada Wodu, Patrick Odey & Raphael Ede

Ondo, Delta, Cross River, Enugu, Benue and Akwa Ibom state governments on Sunday faulted the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over the existence of a gazette, which marked out grazing routes for cattle across the country.

Officials of the state governments, who stated this in separate interviews with The PUNCH, also insisted on the ban on open grazing despite the President’s opposition to it.

Recall that Southern governors at their meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital, last month banned open grazing as part of measures to address killings by herdsmen.

But the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, faulted the governors, saying their action was like banning the sale of spare parts in the North.

Despite criticism Malami’s statement attracted, Buhari,   during an interview with Arise Television  on Thursday, supported open grazing.

He said he had directed Malami to produce a gazette, which delineated grazing routes in all parts of the country in the First Republic.

The President stated, “What I did was to ask him to go and dig the gazette of the First Republic when people were obeying laws. There were cattle routes and grazing areas. Cattle routes were for when they (herdsmen) were moving up country, north to south or east to west.  They had to go through there.”

In his reaction,  the Chairman South-South Governors’ Forum and  Delta State Governor,  Ifeanyi Okowa, said as of 1963, the state had not been created.

The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Olise Ifeajika, stated, “Yes, Mr President directed the AGF to dig out a gazette of 1963 which marked out cattle routes across the country.

“Delta State has no such law because the 1963 gazette he talked about does not in exist in the state.”

On Buhari’s support for open grazing, Okowa said whether the President backed it or not, the governors in the South had made their position on the ban on open grazing known and nothing would change it. “We stand by our resolutions,” he stated

Show us grazing route in Ondo, if it exists, Akeredolu’s aide tells FG

Also, the Ondo State Government said it was oblivious of the existence of any grazing route in the state, adding that  it stood by the southern governors’ ban  on open grazing, despite Buhari’s support for it.

The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Agriculture and Agric-business, Mr Akin Olotu, in an interview with The PUNCH, said cattle routes were not known to be existing in the state.

He said, “We don’t know about any grazing routes in this state, and if they have them in their records, let them show us.  I think events have taken over such things now. What I mean is that, that time they were talking about what was the population of the country?  Now Ikere Ekiti and Ado are almost one. Akure is almost joined with Owo.  Akure and Ondo are almost merged .

“So where are the routes? Then the population of the country was about 60 million. What is the population now?, Where are the routes? So like I said , if they show us the routes, then we will know what to do next.”

Similarly, when contacted, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Charles Titiloye,  said he was not aware of any gazette which marked out grazing route in the state.

On open grazing, the state government said  it still stood by the decision of the southern governors, which banned it.

The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, who spoke to one of  our correspondents, said the state would not allow open grazing of cattle in the state in spite of the pronouncement of the President.

He said, “The Southern Governors’ Forum has spoken at the meeting in Asaba (Delta State). They(the governors) have banned open grazing in the South. They even issued communiqué on the matter.  That is where we stand in Ondo State.

“There is no going back on the ban on open grazing, no land would be given for open grazing or grazing routes for cattle in our state.”

On his part, the Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture, John Okon Owuna, said  he was not aware of grazing routes in the state.

“I am not aware if cattle routes exist in the state or a gazette which marks out cattle routes. All I know is that we have the Obudu Cattle Ranch,” the commissioner told The PUNCH.

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, also kicked against  Buhari’s plan  to reactivate old grazing routes in  the country.

Ortom, in an interview with journalists,  said there was no part of Benue State that was designated as a grazing route.

He stated, “I want people  to know that we have a law in place and the law doesn’t breach the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. I want to believe that our law is a win-win thing to provide security for the farmers and herdsmen against cattle rustling.”

No grazing routes in Enugu, herders shouldn’t encroach on others’ businesses –Commissioner

The  Enugu State Government said that it did not have  any gazette on cattle routes,

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Matthew Idu, who spoke to one of our correspondents in Enugu, said that cattle rearing  was a private business.

He stated, “I have not seen such a document on cattle routes, neither has anybody informed me of any.

“Cattle rearing is an individual business. It is not a government business. So I don’t see why government should be involved in a private business. So it is a private business and those who are doing their private business should look for how they could do their business successfully and efficiently without encroaching on other people’s businesses.”

The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Information and Strategy Mr Ini Ememobong, also told The PUNCH  that there were no grazing routes in the state.

Law not a federal law, Buhari lacks powers to implement it – Senator

Senator representing the Osun Central Senatorial District, Dr Ajibola Basiru, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday,  said the President lacked legal and constitutional powers to revive the old grazing routes, anywhere in the country.

Basiru, who holds a doctoral degree  in Property Law, spoke to one of  our correspondents in his capacity as the Senator representing the Osun Central Senatorial District.

Although, Basiru is the Spokesperson for the Senate, the  Senator said he could not speak in that official capacity because the upper chamber had yet to take a position on the matter.

The lawmaker said he spoke as a Nigerian who is knowledgeable in the area of constitutional law.

Basiru clarified that the issue of grazing routes was not known to the Nigerian constitution and that Buhari did not have any power  to direct the implementation of any law that was alien to  the country’s legal books.

He explained that the gazette that Buhari was referring to was a product of a decree promulgated in the northern Nigeria in the  1960s.

He argued that the Land Use Act, which is recognised by the Nigerian constitution, had rubbished the so-called grazing routes gazette.

The Senate spokesperson specifically stated that the Land Use Act had transferred to state governments, the sole  power to legislate on use of land for any purpose, including grazing.

Basiru said it was only governors of the northern part of the country that could individually make laws  to identify grazing routes because the gazette, which Buhari referred to, had become obsolete.