Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa, has responded to President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent directive to revive cattle grazing routes across the Country. Diri said there were no such routes in the State.
The Governor made this known on Saturday, June 12, 2021 in Government House, Yenagoa, during his maiden media chat to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration. Diri said that his administration had put in place a legal framework to ban open grazing and movement of cattle on foot but clearly explained that he was not countering Buhari’s decision to resuscitate grazing routes.
The Bayelsa Governor also emphasized that the Southern Governors had adopted the same position on the issue as part of measures to check farmers/herders’ clashes across the Country.
His words: “For us, there are no cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa State. Our people are traditionally and occupationally fishermen. The idea of cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa is very strange to us in this part of the Country.
“There may be cattle grazing routes in the north but what is applicable in the north may not be applicable to us in the south. I don’t want to believe we are running a unitary system of Government.
Diri, who pointed out that in a Federal system of Government, States have the rights to enact laws to regulate the activities of their people, stressed that the prohibition on open grazing of cattle would be fully implemented in the State.
The Governor said democracy is about the people and that Nigeria has come a long way with 22 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, which he observed had not been smooth but worth celebrating.
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Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa, has responded to President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent directive to revive cattle grazing routes across the Country. Diri said there were no such routes in the State.
The Governor made this known on Saturday, June 12, 2021 in Government House, Yenagoa, during his maiden media chat to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration. Diri said that his administration had put in place a legal framework to ban open grazing and movement of cattle on foot but clearly explained that he was not countering Buhari’s decision to resuscitate grazing routes.
The Bayelsa Governor also emphasized that the Southern Governors had adopted the same position on the issue as part of measures to check farmers/herders’ clashes across the Country.
His words: “For us, there are no cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa State. Our people are traditionally and occupationally fishermen. The idea of cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa is very strange to us in this part of the Country.
“There may be cattle grazing routes in the north but what is applicable in the north may not be applicable to us in the south. I don’t want to believe we are running a unitary system of Government.
Diri, who pointed out that in a Federal system of Government, States have the rights to enact laws to regulate the activities of their people, stressed that the prohibition on open grazing of cattle would be fully implemented in the State.
The Governor said democracy is about the people and that Nigeria has come a long way with 22 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, which he observed had not been smooth but worth celebrating.
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