BELLO: KOGI HAS NO BILL ON GRAZING RESERVE

KOGI, Nigeria – The reconstitution of the grazing reserve management committee, was in the interest of all and not intended to harm anyone or group, Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, said on Wednesday.

The governor who assured all its citizens, especially those from the Eastern Senatorial Zone that no Bill has been sent to Kogi State House of Assembly in that regard, specifically said the decision was in line with the 1965 Northern Nigeria Government Grazing Reserve Law and modified 1978 Land Use Decree of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

A statement by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Kehinde Oloruntoba, said the exercise is was targeted at any particular section of the state as it was committed to finding lasting peace between the herdsmen and farmers.

The Commissioner said, “Our attention has been drawn to an erroneous interpretation of our memo dated May 20 2017 with reference number MOA/KGVL40.VOL1/92 reconstituting the grazing reserve management committee.

“No Bill has been sent to Kogi State House of Assembly in this regard. This exercise is not targeted at any particular section of the state as part of the terms of reference of the committee is to identify other locations within the state. In view of the amount of interest and concerns it has generated, the committee has been dissolved and the entire exercise put on hold immediately. The State government has devised other ingenuous ways of dealing with the Fulani – Farmers crisis in the State.”

Oloruntoba said the committee was set up to look at the workability of reconstituting the Grazing Reserve Committee in the two gazetted grazing reserves and other possible suitable locations in the State to deal with the the menace of farmers Fulani crisis following the directive of the federal government of Nigeria.

He said, “The two grazing reserves locations gazette over 20 years ago and not under the administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello. In view of the amount of interest and concerns it has generated, the committee has been dissolved and the entire exercise put on hold immediately.

“The State government has devised other ingenuous ways of dealing with the Fulani – Farmers crisis in the State. The government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello will continue to develop all parts of the State evenly. The Kogi State Ministry of Agriculture shall involve all Stakeholders in finding a lasting solution to the herdsmen-farmers problems.”