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Masari backs Southern govs, says open grazing unIslamic

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Katsina Masari open grazing



Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has supported the initiative of the Southern Governors Forum to place a ban on open grazing, describe the roaming of herders as un-Islamic.

WUZUPNIGERIA reported that the decision to prohibit open grazing in the southern region was made on May 11 after the 17 governors of the region met at Asaba.

There have been growing tensions on open grazing due to clashes between local farmers and some AK-47-weilding Fulani herdsmen in their host communities, amidst cases of insecurity and ethnic clashes in the country.

While the SGF sought to reduce the tensions with the ban, and pushed for the Federal government to support states with modern system of animal husbandry, the presidency, through Garba Shehu, spokesperson to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, kicked against the move.

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The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, drew criticism to himself by likening the ban on open grazing to Northern Governors’ banning spare part trading in the northern region.

Also, the Northern Governor Forum’ condemned the decision to ban open grazing in the region and their position was echoed by the Northern Elders’ Forum who accused the Southern governors abandoning their mandate to protect the constitution and defend the unity and integrity of Nigeria by of surrendering to secessionist movements.

However, in an interview with journalists in Katsina on Tuesday evening, the governor said that open graing should be discontinued, according to The PUNCH.

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He said, “This is something we have to do through development, provide necessary infrastructure that will make the herders not to move.

“The herders’ movement is essentially in search of two things: water and fodder. If we can provide these two items, why should they move?

“The roaming about, for us is un-Islamic and it is not the best. It is part of the problems we are having today. I don’t support that we should continue with open grazing.”

Speaking further, Masari called on the Federal Government to support the devolution of power through restructuring, just as the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the southwest called for federalism.

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He stated, “I support devolution totally. The Federal Government is trying. But the states need to have resources to implement what should have been implemented by the Federal Government.

‘’If today the states will support the police, the police system will go up. If the states withdraw their support to security agencies, they won’t be able to move from here to there.

“So, I absolutely support devolution. As a government of Katsina State, we should be allowed by the constitution to decide many things that are peculiar to us.”

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