368 Grazing Reserves; Stop Land Shopping for Fulani Herdsmen, SNF tell Buhari.


The Southern Nigeria Frontier, is disturbed by a statement by the Presidency through the usual Mallam Garuba Shehu on the decision of the federal government, to retrieve 368 Grazing Reserves, spread across 25 states of the Federation. We consider this statement, coming from President Muhammadu Buhari, through Mr Sheu as another in the series of desperate attempt by the regime, to impose the infamous Ruga settlements system for Fulani herdsmen across the country.

While we have an unshaken believe, in the non-existent of any grazing reserve in the seventeen Southern States of Nigeria, under the control of the Federal government, it is imperative to ask the federal government once again, how and when it gazetted the lands in the said 25 states because we are very sure of the powers, given by the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria, as amended, to the governors of the various states, as far as the administration of lands in within their territories are concerned.

Beyond a terse presidential statement, it is imperative that for a decision, such as the implementation of Grazing Reserves in about two-third of the country is concerned, President Buhari and the operatives of the government, should avail the Nigerian public, the gazette number and its content. We are constrained to ask, in what capacity and with which authority did the Prof Gambari panel and federal government determined the so called gazetted lands in those 25 states of Nigeria?

This latest Freudian slip from the Presidency and the desperation to hijack lands belonging to States, for grazing reserves, signposts a dangerous attempt to deploy federal might to harass the federating units in a desperate bid to promote the interest of one ethnic group over those of over 350 other ethnic nationalities across Nigeria.

We wish to advise President Buhari, to tread carefully on this very sensitive issue of Grazing Routes and grazing reserves and desist from playing games with the lives of Nigerians by taking such a decision. The President must once and for all, stopped being seen as adumbrating the Herdsmen position to convert the entire country into one huge cattle colony.

We also urge the governors of the Southern Nigeria, to in categorical term, tell Nigerians which parts of their states, fall within this Professor Gambari gazetted grazing reserves, as this latest move by the federal government, shows that we are dealing with an unfolding tragedy.

We urge Nigerians, to resist this attempt, by the federal government to force violent herders on harmless communities in the name of grazing reserves.


Rather than this desperate land grabbing strategy, we urge the Federal government, to take a look into the position of the 2014 National Conference which recommended that Nigeria should embrace ranching as a way out of the herdsmen crisis. Let it be known clearly to President Buhari, that our people of the Southern Nigeria, will not accept their land being converted into cattle grazing routes, at whatever cost.

The nation is confronted with more serious issue of national urgency, that this desperate search for RUGA, by the federal government. Finally, we urge the states of the Southern Nigeria, that are yet to legislate on the ban on open grazing in their states, as agreed by the Southern Governors forum, to do so, without further delay.

Signed:

Olufemi Lawson
Spokesman, SNF
20-08-2021

First things first, we need to do a functional brain shopping for our President because, if we don't; he'll keep on thinking about cow 24/7 in 365 days.

this man in aso will commit a blunder that will raise a hell that will end him and his killer herdsmen!

don't take the entire ethnic people in Nigeria for granted.

IF HE PUSHES NIGERIANS TO THE EXTENT THEY CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE AND RISE AGAINST THE FULANIS, WHAT NIGERIA DID TO INNOCENT IGBOS WILL BE A CHILDS PLAY COMPARED TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO FULANIS - THEY WILL HAVE NO WHERE TO RUN TO.

Buhari is really a pain in the ass.
We more pressing issue in the country than cow for God sake ..

Buhari aims to plant weeds among crops.

All attempts to grab lands for those people would fail woefully.

Buhari! Buhari!! Buhari!!!
Oya, continue..... You will soon encounter Lord Lugard and query him on why he chose ONE NIGERIA

What is really wrong with president Buhari? What kind of advice does he gets from his political advisers especially the NSA on the implications of statements like these?

Can't imagine that of all burning national issues beleaguering this nation and affecting the world wherein reputable global bodies and governments are collaborating to tackle, Buhari will be only be obsessed with is animal husbandry & unconstitutional grabbing of lands for fulanis to possess.

I don't Buhari rather i blame southern politicians like governor Umahi of Ebonyi state that serves like a dumb slave on the community and the Niger Delta governors that kept quiet while Buhari signs away 30% of their oil revenue to the North while the indigenous communities gets only 3%.

We TALK too much in the south. Let Buhari create his grazing routes in the south no wahala. By the time both the herdsmen and the cows start disappearing at the hands of 'unknown gunmen' nobody will need to tell them to stay away. We should reaply Buhari and the Fulani with the language they'll understand, not all this big grammar.

You people were there, yet they used biscuits to fool ur senators and passed the 3% Pib bill. So why won't they be emboldened to take southern lands by force? Keep sleeping southerners. One nijeriya is the best right? Una go see shege.

This move is dead on arrival. Any attempt to annex peoples God given land will be met with a serious backlash across all southern states of Nigeria.
President buhari is not the almighty and cannot exercise power that has not been given to him. Before you sign off your land to armed herders go and count the number of mass graves in Benue and plateau and then you can decide.
The walking dead man must tread carefully. There is no free land anywhere o.