After years of indecision, procrastination and dilly dallying, the Federal Government last week took a firm decision to ban open grazing of cattle across the country. The implementation of the ban will however take-off on a pilot basis in five states of the Federation-Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa and Zamfara.

The decision was taken by the National Economic Council (NEC) after its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who made the decision public on behalf NEC also said the Council equally banned the free movement of cattle and other animals across the Nigerian border from other West African countries, regardless of the relevant protocol of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which guarantees free movement of people and goods within the sub-region.

We welcome the decision of NEC even though it is coming late in the day when the country has witnessed unnecessary spilling of blood from incessant clashes between Herdsmen and farmers nationwide.

The clashes which have become a national security concern, it is hoped will abate since the Herdsmen will by the new decision adopt to ranching which is the global best practice in animal husbandry.

We are even the more happier that the decision was not based on political or  religious sentiments but a product of the report of the  technical committee earlier set up by Council under the chairmanship of Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi.

Umahi’s Committee traversed the states where the farmers-Herders clashes have been most prevalent, i.e Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau and Zamfara states. During the fact-finding visits, the Committee met with all stakeholders including farmers, security agencies, state governors, leaders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Horel, among others.

In all the meetings, ranching was canvassed as the most enduring solution to the bloodletting occasioned by the farmers-Herders clashes. The Committee was therefore, left with no better option than recommend the ban on open grazing of cows.

The NEC decision has at long last vindicated the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and his Taraba state counterpart, Darius Dickson Ishaku, both of who enacted the anti-open grazing law as a panacea to the frequent violent clashes between farmers and the Herdsmen. It can be said therefore, that the two governors understood the issues and the best solution and indeed acted appropriately. It is to their credit that  NEC arrived at the same solution the two governors proffered several months earlier.

While we commend NEC for the courage to take this decision, the security agencies especially the police and the Department of State Services(DSS) must immediately commence the enforcement of this ban otherwise the Federal Government decision would pass as one of the  rhetorical statements commonly associated with politicians when confronted with difficult situations. 

As has been severally argued by experts, Nigeria with a little over 26million cattle should have no problem operating ranches since countries like India, Brazil, Argentina and the US with upward 100million cattle have long practiced ranching.

What more, animal scientists have since established that the nomadic cows produced less milk and poor quality meat compared to those kept in ranches.

The Federal Government should live up to its words to provide subsidies for animal husbandry as recommended by the Umahi Committee.

In our view, the subsidies should come by way of

If the NEC decision is properly implemented, Nigeria would have just began the journey towards a profitable and healthier cattle rearing business through the ranching model.

Most importantly, the NEC decision banning the free movement of

Nigerians appear  to be tired  and even  helpless  as a result of the nation’s drift into a  state of high level of insecurity.

The country that prides itself  as Africa’s most populous nation, and equally  boasting of its largest economy  has degenerated  over the years  to   become the killing field for terrorists, bandits, kidnappers , and other criminal elements in the society.

The killings of hundreds of the nation’s defenceless citizens, and even scores of security men have continued unabated because the government, especially the Federal Government has shown itself to be   weak and indecisive towards  handling the criminal elements.

Barely a week after the massacre  of farmers and other  defenceless   Nigerians in Borno and some states in the North, a group of criminals carried out another heinous  attack on a church in Owo , Ondo State on Sunday, June 5.

The attack, which was unleashed on   Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo,  the headquarters of the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State witnessed pandemonium  as gunmen struck leaving no fewer than 50 persons dead.

There has  been serious concern among Nigerians as the  attack on the church in Owo,  the hometown of the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, came barely a week after the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Bishop Samuel Kanu-Uche, was kidnapped in Abia State by gunmen which  the priest later identified as Fulani youths working with some security men.

Reports had it that  the gunmen, who attacked the Catholic church, arrived at the premises, which is less than 200 metres from the palace of the Olowo of Owo, at 12pm when the Sunday mass was being rounded off.Reports further had it that  worshippers, mostly children and women, were killed in the attack, by the criminals  who were said to have thrown an improvised explosive device before they started shooting sporadically.Some videos posted online showed some of the slain worshippers in a pool of their own blood.

Workers of the Federal Medical Centre and Saint Louis Hospital, both in Owo, where the dead and the injured were taken to, said no fewer than 50 persons were killed in the tragedy.

While visiting the scene of the tragedy,  Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state and the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye have appealed to youths in Owo, Ondo state not to retaliate the killing of worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church in the town.

Speaking during his visit to the church and hospitals where survivors of the attack are receiving medical attention, Gov. Akeredolu,further  described the terror attack on innocent worshipers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo, as a massacre and horrific.

Akeredolu, who said he was terribly sad, noted that the attack was the most dastardly act that could happen in any society.He said the  security agencies lost no fewer than  two men and that the incident  was not an expected attack.

The Governor  expressed  his  condolences to those who  lost their dear ones to this unnecessary gruesome murder.

He declared that the ugly incident  must not happen again as the people must  very vigilant.

At the palace of the Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye,  Gov. Akeredolu  condoled with the monarch over the sad incident.Akeredolu said the gunmen made a mistake of attacking Owo, vowing that they will not escape justice.Like other men of goodwill we condemn in totality the killings in Owo, which we describe as callous, wicked and inhuman.

We are condoling with the government and people of Ondo state, the relatives of worshippers that lost their dear ones as a result of the ugly incident.

Once more, we call for a review of the nation’s security architecture, which has failed the nation in tackling the numerous security challenges. Without further ado, the much advocated state police is an idea whose time has come. Nigeria must embrace state police for its survival and existence as a nation.

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Nigeria as a nation witnessed one of its worst human tragedies in recent time when an explosion in an illegal refinery in a community in Imo State burnt to death no fewer than 200 people.

Nigerians from all walks of life have been expressing outrage over the monumental tragedy. Their mass burial was conducted  late last week,  as villagers from Abaezi community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area and neighbouring towns in the  State watched in pains, agony as no fewer than 100 out of close to 200 victims were buried after the previous  Friday’s explosion at the illegal refinery in Abaezi community.

The mass burial took place eventually at Abaezi forest in Abacheke community in Ohaji/Egbema area, where some locals dug three graves for the mass burial. 

Chairman of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, Marcel Amadioha, alongside security agents and officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) supervised the mass burial.

Mr Amadioha simply said: “The victims buried were those bodies that were burnt beyond recognition.” One of the youth leaders, Ben Marcus,  told a correspondent: “Some of the victims were identified by their relatives and were allowed to carry them for burial. Most of the victims came from far and near.”

In a related development, top operators of over 150 illegal oil refineries between the forests of Abaezi and Abacheke communities in Ohaji/Egbema local government area of Imo State with boundary with Rivers State, have reportedly abandoned their sites after the Imo State government had declared one Okenze Onyewoke wanted, after linking him with the Abaezi illegal oil refinery that exploded and killed about  200 lives and damaged vehicles the fateful Friday night.

Not only that, landowners who offered their land in exchange for money to be used for illegal oil refineries had disappeared to nearby states, Rivers State and Bayelsa to take refuge. Accounts have it that many people have abandoned their sites.

In its reaction to the tragedy, the Imo State government through the  State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Goodluck Opiah, said the government has declared one Okenze Onyewoke wanted so as to use him to serve as a deterrent to others doing the same business. According to Opiah: “The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma has declared the owner of the illegal bunkering Okenze Onyewoke wanted. Anywhere he is seen, he will be arrested and used to teach others doing this business a big lesson.

We sympathize with the families of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident. Most of the people who are engaging in this act are from Rivers, Bayelsa and other neighbouring states and it is sabotage for our people to allow this illegal activity to continue.”

Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the nation’s security and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries to safeguard the lives of citizens. The president’s directive is contained in a statement by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu.

The presidential spokesman  said the directive followed the reported deaths of scores of people on Friday night after an illegal refinery exploded at Abaezi forest in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo.

In  what he described as a “catastrophe and a national disaster,” the President said responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery who must all be caught and made to face justice.” The President conveyed the condolences and the full depth and range of the nation’s shock and trauma to the families of the victims, the Ohaji Egbema community and the government and people of Imo State.

He urged community leaders, police, and the secret service to never allow the occurrence of heart-breaking incidents in any part of the country again. We equally share  in the outrage and concern of the government and people of this country over the monumental tragedy in Imo state. We attribute what happened in the state to the failure of the governments to cater for the citizens.

Callous businessmen have taken to illegal refinery which is a thriving business in the oil-producing states because over the years the Federal Government failed to put the nation’s four refineries  in place to meet the oil needs of its people. The repair of the refineries has become a conduit pipe for those in government to rip off the nation. Added to this challenge on hand is the trillions of Naira in budgetary provision for oil importation.

All these underscore the failure of government to meet the basic energy needs of its people. As long as these inefficiencies and waste in governance continue, illegal refineries will boom with attendant disasters.