Port Harcourt—Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Wednesday, declared that he plans to send a bill to the state House of Assembly to legalize the ban on open grazing in the state.
The Punch reports that the governor made the declaration during the inauguration of the Isaiah Odoli/Omerelu Streets in New GRA Phase 1 in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
A statement by Kevin Ebiri, Special Adviser on Media to Governor Wike, quoted him as saying: “You can’t go to the farm anymore, those who rear cattle, they’ll not allow your crops to grow.
“Let me say clearly, now that the House of Assembly has come back, we have to submit the bill on Anti-Open Grazing as we agreed in the Southern Governors Forum.
“So, that everybody must understand it, it’s clear, without any hesitation, we must do it to protect our farms, to protect our women, to protect our youths so that nobody will go and kill them,” Wike declared.
Mangrovepen.ng had reported that Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State condemned plans by the Federal Government to revive grazing routes across the country, stating that Bayelsa have no grazing routes.