The Presidency has stated that the recent open grazing ban by southern governors is of questionable legality, citing constitutional freedom of movement rights.
This was disclosed in a statement by the media aide to the Presidency, Garba Shehu, on Monday.
What the Presidency said
“It is equally true that their announcement (Southern Governors) 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.
Fortunately, this declaration has been preempted, for whatever it is intended to achieve.
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Mr President, who has rightly been worried about these problems more than any other citizen, in consultation with farmers and herders alike, commissioned and approved an actionable plan of rehabilitating grazing reserves in the states, starting with those that are truly committed to the solution and compliant with stated requirements,” the statement said.
The Presidency revealed that the rehabilitated reserves would have far-reaching and practical changes, allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side, through aiding farmers to till their fields, herders to rear their livestock and Nigerians everywhere to be safe.
“Actual work for the full actualisation of the modern reserve system in a few of the consenting states should take off in June.’’
What you should know
Earlier this month, Governors from 17 states in Southern Nigeria stated that Nigeria must be restructured to reflect true federalism leading to state policing. They also called for an end to open grazing, a change in the revenue allocation formula of the nation, a review of government appointments relating to federal character, and a national dialogue to address greater inclusiveness in existing governance arrangement.