Fulani herdsmen in Oyo state under the aegis of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association has urged the Governor of the state, Engineer Seyi Makinde to consider the plight of the herdsmen over the Anti Open grazing law.
The herdsmen made this plea through their Secretary-General, Garba Umar, while featuring on a political programme BOTTOM LINE on IBR 92.5fm Ibadan monitored by insideOyo.com.
Garba said there was no sincerity of purpose in the move made by the House insisting that the speedy passage given the bill by the House elicits some suspicion.
“If you look at the period within which the bill was considered by House, one can conclude that it is targeted at the Fulani Community. Herding is an inherited business for any Fulani man so, for the House to say it is not targeted at the Fulanis is unacceptable. Yoruba people are not into the business but for us, it is a lifestyle” he said.
He lamented that the bill passed by the Assembly focuses on penalty for Herdsmen but is totally silent on penalty for any erring farmer.
Contrary to the earlier stance of the Fulani Herdsmen to challenge the bill in Court, Garba said the Fulani Herdsmen have chosen not to go to the Court again but appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to consider their plight before signing the bill into law.
“The House has passed the bill into law, what can we do again? We are not going to Court again! We cannot tell them how to rule their State but they should be fair to us.” he added.
He said that there has been provision long time ago by the Federal Government for the grazing business hence, the allocation of about 13′ 446 hectares of land around Iwere Ile in Oke-Ogun Area of Oyo State for grazing activities.
When reminded by the Presenter that the Land Use Act 1978 vests the ownership of Land on States and that it will be improper to lay claim to any land in the State, Garba insisted that it has been like that since independence.
He called on the Governor to consider the Fulani Herdsmen in the State whom he described as critical stakeholders who contribute immensely to the economy of the state.
