Anti-open grazing laws test southern governors’ unity

Vanessa Obioha writes that the signing of the anti-open grazing bill into law by southern governors is a litmus test to achieving their common goal in the 2023 elections

At the time of filing this report, Lagos was the latest southern state to sign the anti-open grazing bill into law.

Before the Centre of Excellence signed the bill, the Delta State House of Assembly was the latest to pass the law, joining the list of the southern states that signed the bill prohibiting open grazing.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday, signed the bill into law. Under the new law, Lagos will no longer tolerate herders who occupy unapproved public areas and private land with their livestock for grazing. It also prohibits the act of moving cattle around public places by herders.

Enugu, Osun, and Akwa-Ibom signed the bill into law almost a fortnight ago, after their assemblies passed it.

Some other southern governors have also implemented this agreement made by the southern governors at their meeting in Lagos last July. The governors who unanimously agreed that the next president should emerge from the southern region had set September 1 target for the promulgation of the anti-open grazing law in all its member states.

Following the incessant killings of farmers by herders, the Southern Governors Forum had met in Delta last May to discuss the rising insecurity in the country. It was at that meeting that the governors agreed to ban open grazing in their member states, a decision that triggered differing opinions, especially from the northern region.

“The forum observed that the incursion of armed herders, criminals and bandits into the southern part of the country has created a severe security challenge, such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives, including pursuing various productive activities, leading to threats to food supply and general security. Consequently, the meeting resolved that open grazing of cattle be banned across southern Nigeria,” according to communiqué read by the Chairman of the forum and Ondo State governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu at the meeting.

Apart from the governors of Anambra and Cross River who were absent, the 15 governors present showed unity as Akeredolu addressed the press.

But shortly before the September 1 target, only five governors had signed the bill. Akeredolu nearly missed the target as he signed the law on the eve of the deadline on August 31.

So far, Rivers, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Oyo, Abia, Osun, Ebonyi, Ondo, Enugu, Lagos and Akwa Ibom have signed the bill into law.

The bill has passed through the first reading in Anambra State House of Assembly.

The governor of Ogun State, where the bill already exists, has not signed it.

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has tactically opted out of the agreement, seeking a partnership with the herders instead.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State seems to be dragging his feet in enacting the law, drawing the ire of a group, New Nigerian Initiative (NNI), who urged the governor to follow the steps of other southern governors that have enacted the law.

The group during a protest in Benin said that “it has been transparently and sufficiently established that Fulani herdsmen are the ones unleashing terror and fear in Edo State by the horrible and shocking cases of the late Jide Sowore and the recent kidnapping of the elder statesman, Dickson Imasogie, among other isolated cases.”

The scenario painted by the group is a sign of the perilous times that await states that renege on the agreement. The number of deaths and abduction attributed to Fulani herdsmen in the last few years has not dwindled. More than 2,000 people were killed by Fulani herdsmen between 2017 and 2020 according to a report released last year by José Luis Bazán, an independent researcher and analyst, based in Brussels, Belgium. This year, the herdsmen went on a killing spree in states such as Ebonyi, Enugu, Plateau and Benue.

Like the NNI, the Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, is insisting that open grazing will not be allowed in any part of Igboland. The group said that it would engage South-east governors who are yet to initiate action on the ban on open grazing. It assured that it will engage Obiano and Uzodimma but the success of that engagement is highly doubtful. Going by the disposition of these governors, there is no assurance in their cooperation.

Meeting in Enugu again on Thursday, September 16, the southern governors urged states that were yet to pass the bill into law to do so without hesitation.

Passing the bill into law is only one part of the bigger problem, implementing it is the main elephant that must be slaughtered. In some areas where the law has been enacted, herders can still be seen grazing their cattle without fear of arrest.

Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai alluded to the impunity of the herders and their above-the-law posture when he attacked the southern governors last week, insisting that the anti-open grazing law is not implementable.

“What is unhelpful is the politicising of the situation and passing legislation that you know that you cannot implement,” he said in a meeting at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in Abuja.

While he supported ranching, he however, noted that it won’t be an immediate solution.

“We have to plan, we have to have resources and we have to implement it.”

According to him, Kaduna State would require about N114 billion to put together 14 ranches.

Apart from the South-west states, where Amotekun, the South-west security outfit seems to be on the lookout for defaulters, other states would have to set up regional security outfits and arm them to ensure that the law is implemented.

The South-east zone is particularly affected by the killings of farmers by the herders. The once peaceful states almost became a killing field.

This led to the formation of Ebube Agu security outfit, which some states accepted grudgingly. But this outfit is not yet well-equipped to combat the dangerous herdsmen. The blood-thirsty herders are ruthless and in possession of sophisticated weapons.

The governors addressed these security issues in their last meeting, stating that they “encourage the full operationalisation of already agreed regional security outfits, which would meet, share intelligence and collaborate to ensure the security and safety of the region.”

Again, the continuous absence of South-east governors at the meeting was an indication of a lack of commitment on their part. At the last meeting in Enugu, the governors of Abia, Imo and Ebonyi were absent. They sent their deputies instead. Interestingly, Anambra, which is among states where herders kill farmers did not send any representative. The governors of Ekiti, Oyo, and Cross River were equally absent but represented by their deputies.

Beyond protecting the people and their means of livelihood, as well as halting the advancement of the criminal herders in the region, the anti-open grazing bill is a litmus test to the southern governors as it will test their solidarity in achieving a common goal, which is to have the presidency zoned to the South. It is pertinent therefore that they show a united front in tackling the Fulani herdsmen menace. So far, they have spoken with one voice in matters such as fiscal federalism, collection of value added tax by state governments and the Petroleum Industry Act.

If they pass the anti-open grazing bill test, it will make them a formidable force to reckon with as the 2023 elections draw near.

(THISDAY)