Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, says the prohibition
of herders from grazing openly in some states in the country won’t work until
the insecurity situation as well as the socio-political and economic dimensions
of the crisis is addressed.
He spoke on Wednesday morning during ‘Sunrise Daily’
breakfast show on Channels Television.
Many states in Nigeria including the 17 Southern states had
banned open grazing in their region, to curb cases of rape, killing and
kidnapping traced to some unscrupulous and furtive elements who masquerade as
herdsmen. Despite stiff opposition and criticisms by many northern bigwigs,
Southern governors met on Monday and set September 1, 2021 for the promulgation
of the anti-open grazing law in their states.
But speaking on the television programme, the Borno State Governor said the socio-political and economic dimensions of the insecurity in the country as well as the insurgency war in the North-East which he said is fast spreading to other parts of the country must first be addressed.
The governor said, “We have to address the socio-political
and economic dimensions of this crisis which is very important because there is
increasing poverty in the sub-region; that is something that will trigger
insurgency.
“There is increasing food insecurity in the sub-region
because food insecurity is the worst form of insecurity and that is why the
Borno State Government has been advocating for farming in the last two years.
Farmers should be allowed to go to their farm lands.
“The Nigerian military should create the enabling
environment for farmers to go to their farmlands so that they can cultivate
their lands. It is no longer sustainable for our internally displaced persons
living in IDP camps and host communities to receive food and non-food items
from donor partners. People must earn their livelihood if we want this
insurgency to come to an end.”
“The issue of the
socio-political and economic dimensions of this crisis is very important;
addressing farmers-herders is also very important, to ensure that the enabling
environment has been created to the herders is very important. This issue of
stopping open grazing and others will not work unless we sit down and address
all these issues squarely,” he added.
Zulum, who said peace is gradually returning to the
North-East after over 11 years of Boko Haram war, lamented that the Nigerian
Army does not have the lethal weapons, fighter helicopter and numerical
strength to fight the aggressors.
He said, “The Nigerian Army of last 30 years, of last 40
years is better than the Nigerian Army of now a days. It is sad, it is very
sad. We supposed to have gone far in terms of development but if you look at
it, the equipment we have in the last 40 years are still in existence.
“Yes, Mr President has procured some equipment, the
equipment are coming but when will they arrive. That is a serious thing that
they should look into because we need to address this issue immediately
otherwise the issue will consume the greater part of the nation.”
According to him, “The Nigerian Army should not relax by our
statement that there is peace in Borno State, that there is gradual return of
peace in the North-East. Yes, what we are saying is true but that does not mean
the problem is over; they have to work hard to ensure that the remnants of the
insurgents are cleared in the Lake Chad, are cleared in the Sambisa Game
Reserve.”
Zulum also stressed the need for the Nigerian Army to engage
mercenaries and leverage on external collaboration with neighboruing countries
like Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, amongst others, to win the insurgency war
which has claimed thousands of lives in the last 11 years.
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