MIYETTI Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) leaders have concluded plans with Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose to participate in his herding restriction programme and volunteer their members to help police the scheme.
In late August, Governor Fayose signed a bill into law banning grazing in some areas of the state and treating offenders as terrorists. This Anti Grazing Bill, 2016 was introduced following the killing of two people by persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in Oke Ako, in Ikole Ekiti Local Government Area and criminalises grazing in forbidden places and at certain times across Ekiti State.
Last month, Governor Fayose began implementing the programme with the inauguration of the Ekiti Grazing Enforcement Marshals (Egem), charged with enforcing the ban. After initially criticizing the initiative, Macban has decided to support it and is planning to volunteer some of its members as Egem officials to ensure the programme is implemented fairly.
Yesterday. Macban officials met with Governor Fayose and representatives from the local governments in the state at Government House in Ado Ekiti. Expressing happiness that the Macban leaders decided to contact the state government instead of listening to rumours being peddled around by the opposition, the governor said, they will all work together.
Governor Fayose said: “I have nothing against you or any other ethnic group. Nobody should bring politics into this matter because if a Yoruba person destroys your property I will defend you too.
"It is people destroying other people’s farms that are causing this problem. We have given lands to people to farm and they have paid, some for many years to use the lands and when somebody now comes and destroys their means of livelihood and make them suffer losses, we won’t allow that."
At the meeting, Governor Fayose said his bill was introduced to prevent the herding of cows along major roads and city centres, saying this had caused fatal vehicular accidents in the past. Alhaji Muhammad Nasamu, the Ekiti State chairman of Macban, commended the governor for his frankness and openness.
"If anybody says Fayose is after Hausa or Fulani people, that person has no sense. During my first term, I appointed a man from Malunfashi as a special adviser and this term too, I appointed Musa Kanga unto the Pilgrims Welfare Board.
In Oke Ako-Ekiti last May, two persons were killed, people’s wives raped by those hiding under the guise of rearing cattle. I have 83 cows too and I have told the person taking care of them that if he goes against the law and any of them is seized, he will be responsible for that,” Governor Fayose added.
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