By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Apparently disturbed by the incessant clashes between herders and farmers which often lead to destruction of lives and properties especially in the Southern part of Nigeria, Kano state Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has said that the federal government must enact a law banning movement of cattle from the North to other parts of the country in order to resolve the issues at stake.
Gov. Ganduje stated this over the weekend in an interview with newsmen in Daura, Katsina state after a lunch the governors on the platform of the ruling Alł Progressives Congress (APC) had with President Muhammadu Buhari in his private residence.
The governor opined that placing a ban on movement of cattle herders would also address the challenge of cattle rustling which he said has assumed a frightening dimension.
On how far his administration had gone with the Ruga project in Kano state, Ganduje said “we are building a Ruga settlement in Samsosua Forest, our border with Katsina and we have succeeded in curtailing the effect of banditry in that area. So, we are building many houses, we are constructing a dam; we are establishing a Cattle Artificial insemination Centre; we are establishing veterinary clinic and already we have started building houses for herdsmen.
My advocacy is that we should abolish the transportation or trekking of herdsmen from the Northern part of Nigeria to the Middle Belt and to the Southern part of Nigeria. There should be a law that will ban, otherwise we cannot control the conflicts between herdsmen and farmers and cannot control the cattle rustling which is affecting us greatly.”
Asked what he expects from the newly appointed Service Chiefs, the Kano state governor said he would expect them to work closely with state governors because they (the governors) know what the people need and the black spots in their domains.
Also speaking on his expectations from the new Service Chiefs, Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya said “I will ask them to work hard; harder than what Mr. President might have assumed they would do because the task ahead is very challenging and I believe they will live up to expectations.”
On his part, the Governor of Jigawa State who attended the lunch with his Kano and Gombe State counterparts said “I think they have to listen to people in transfer of intelligence and continue to ask people to pray for them.”
In another development, Kebbi State Governor who was at the lunch in Daura has described the on-going revalidation and registration of members of the ruling APC as an opportunity to deepen democracy, show respect for institutions of the party and sanctity of those institutions.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari, by re-validating his membership of the APC at his Sarki Yara ‘A’ Registration Centre, Bayajidda Primary School, Daura, Katsina state on Saturday, has demonstrated that he was personally leading by example to show that party’s organs and membership matter in order to deepen democracy in the country.
