President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, distanced himself from the ban on open grazing by southern governors while also expressing a strong resolve to address the conflicts of herders and farmers for a permanent solution.
Also, he ordered that the associated problem of the gun-wielding “killer herdsmen” be tackled.
The presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement recalled that Buhari approved measures to bring an end to the skirmishes as recommended by Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture, in April.
The presidency insisted that Buhari’s action was before the ban on open grazing by the Southern Governors’ Forum.
The statement said that there was no solution offered from the governors’ resolutions to the herder-farmer clashes “that have been continuing in our country for generations”.
Garba said the citizens of the southern states and others have a right to expect their elected leaders and representatives to find answers to challenges of governance and right.
“It is equally true that their announcement is of questionable legality, given the Constitutional right of all Nigerians to enjoy the same rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 states (and FCT) – regardless of the state of their birth or residence.”
