Afenifere Rejects Grazing Commission Bill, Calls for National Conference Report

Afenifere Rejects Grazing Commission Bill, Calls for National Conference Report

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, today rejected the Grazing Commission Bill sponsored by Senator Zainab Kure from Niger State, a bill which had scaled through the second reading.

Afenifere stated its position at a press conference addressed by its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, at his residence in Akure, Ondo State.

Fasoranti, who was flanked by the organisation's Secretary, Chief Seinde Arogbofa, described the bill as obnoxious and unacceptable to the Yoruba nation.

Afenifere position came just as the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, said the proposed law could not work in the state.

He said the proposed law, rather than solving the problem, would aggravate the problem.

According to Fasoranti, the bill seeks to turn private cattle rearing into a national affair by setting up a federal body to take care of interest of herdsmen against the interest of other occupations.

He said the bill, if passed into law, would forcefully take land from state government and individual owners in violation of the Land Use of Act and all legal means of land holding for the purpose of grazing reserves.

The octogenarian also noted that the bill also goes further to prescribe a fine of N500,000 or five years imprisonment or both for the owners of the land if they are found on such land taken over by the commission.

"We reject any law that would rob a set of citizens of their possessions and award to another set of citizens as this offensive bill attempts to do. That is against the principle of natural justice.

"There is also the added danger of making national the indigene settler problem that has remained intractable in the Middle Belt area of the country for a long time now and create more centres of conflict," Fasoranti stated.

The Yoruba leader noted that the British colonialists knew that Nigerians were different peoples with varying occupations and that was why a federal constitution was given so that each component unit can manage its space in accordance with the demands of their occupation.

"It is against the federal principle for the government of the federation to therefore want to violate the rights of other sections of the country to please a group from an ethnic unit over and above the interest of other over 400 ethnic groups.

"We therefore stand with the decision of the 2014 National Conference which recommended the scrapping of grazing routes for the establishment of ranches.

"The world has become too civilised and far beyond roaming animals all over the country as if we are in medieval period," he said.

Fasoranti said delegates at the National Conference were generous in their recommendation because it was stated that amenities like schools, dam, electricity and other things that would make the place habitable for the inhabitants.