The 36 state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has said that Nigeria as a country cannot sustain open grazing, just as they stressed the need to strengthen the National Livestock Transformation Plan.

According to them, it is their view that the traditional approach to grazing was no longer sustainable, and that modern approach to livestock management needs to be put in place, adding that they feel strongly that the strengthening of the National Livestock Transformation Plan would be a good place to start this comprehensive revisiting of the livestock management arrangement.

Reading a Communique after the meeting of the governors in Abuja that took place, last Wednesday night and into the early hours of yesterday, NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, attributed the porosity of the nation’s borders to the proliferation of light arms that were now being used to kidnap and commit other criminal acts, especially by the Fulani herders.

According to Fayemi, the governors have resolved that crime and criminality must be comprehensively prosecuted to their logical conclusion, just as they stressed that they are opposed in totality to ethnic profiling of crime.

Fayemi said, “Governors are concerned about border management in the country. We have received a number of calls from our colleagues that these crimes are associated with the porous borders in the country, and we are concerned about the importance of strengthening the ECOWAS trans-human border protocol in order to address the movement of cattle across borders.

“We also believe that the porosity of our borders is responsible for the proliferation of light weapons and this has led to disagreement between farmers and herders in the violence we witnessed. Most of the people are seen to be carrying AK-47 arms.

“We are also concerned in achieving synergy among mainstream security agencies and states security institutions or local security arrangement that has emanated for a response to the situations we find ourselves in, like the vigilante groups, civilian JTF, Amotekun.

“There is the need for them to be synergized so that they will not take laws into their hands taking into accounts the fundamental human rights of those who may be innocent of crimes in their jurisdictions.

“Governors are irrevocably committed to the protection of lives and property in our states and we are full of sympathy with those who have lost lives and property. The governors’ forum has gone ahead to provide some financial support to victims of the conflicts experienced in Uyo and Ogun states where our delegation visited over the last week.

“Nigerian governors also are very clear that crime and criminality should be comprehensively prosecuted wherever they may occur without ethnic, religious, or any other coloration.

“Governors are totally opposed to ethnic profiling of crime. Knowing what has transpired in other parts of the world, whether we are talking of the way youths were profiles in Germany leading to the world war, or we talking of the way Tutsis were profiled leading to the genocide experienced in Rwanda, we do not believe that crimes are associated with a particular ethnic group.

“And to that extent, we unreservedly condemn any attempt to profile any ethnic group on account of a particular crime.

“Governors are also totally opposed to the proliferation of fake news, and the abuse of social media. Many of us have seen those fake videos that have almost led to reprisals in other parts of the country and we want to explore both our mainstream media organizations as well as individuals to apply restraint in the way and manner issues relating to the security of lives and property is reported.

“Our meeting also reviewed the challenges of resourcing for our military institutions. We welcome the appointment of new services chiefs and we are supportive of the work they promised to do. We hope new security architecture will emerge from this new leadership.

“On our part, we are prepared to support the dedication of portions of the Excess Crude Account and the Natural Resource Development Fund and the Economic Stabilization Fund to providing the necessary equipment for the military and other security institutions to address immediately the impunity associated with all of the crimes and criminality that we have highlighted in this briefing.

“In this wise, we have also expressed our interest in strengthening our judicial system so that they can accelerate access to justice for victims of crime and criminality in the country.

“Governors also reviewed the need to strengthen the National Livestock Transformation Plan because it the view of all the governors in Nigeria that the traditional approach to grazing is no longer sustainable and that modern approach to livestock management needs to be put in-plane and governors feel strongly that the strengthening of the National Livestock Transformation Plan would be a good place to start this comprehensive revisiting of the livestock management arrangement.

“Governors also highlighted in the course of our meeting, the importance of reviewing our forestry management and environmental law because we feel very strongly that our forests have become the den of these criminals and bandits simply because they have not been properly managed across the board. And to this end, it is the considered view of governors that the forestry management arrangement needs to be immoderately reviewed in collaboration with the federal authority so that these.”

Fayemi, who noted that the meeting of the governors reviewed the need to strengthen the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), said, “It is the views of all the governors that the traditional approach to grazing is no longer sustainable and that modern approach to grazing and livestock management needs to be put in place.

“Governors feel strongly that the strengthening of the NLTP would be a good place to start this comprehensive revisiting of the livestock management arrangement.

“Governors also highlighted in the course of our meeting the importance of reviewing our forestry management and environmental laws because we feel very strongly that our forests have become the den of these criminals and bandits simply because they are not properly managed across the board.

“And to this end, it is the considered view of governors that the forestry management needs to be immediately reviewed in collaboration with the federal authorities so that these problems that we have encountered can be immediately addressed”.