Open grazing: Yoruba traditional chiefs slam Atiku over purported plan to enact law

By Editor

The Council of Traditional Baales of Ibadanland has berated the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar over his purported plan to enact law to support the open grazing of cattle in Nigeria, if elected in 2023.

The Council therefore warned Atiku against enacting a law or supporting any move aimed at enslaving the people of Southwest zone, saying the Yoruba race would resist any plan to balkanize the region.

Chairman of the Council, Taye Ayorinde disclosed this at the launching and award ceremony of the participating Baales of Ibadanland, held at Ibadan House, Oke-Aremo, Ibadan.

"There are laws banning them, herders, in the Southwest, Late Justice Adewale Thompson was the first to pronounce roaming of animals illegal. 

He did not ban people moving from one place to the other.

"If Chief Atiku’s agenda is to Fulanize our land by promulgating draconian illegal laws to suppress us and make animals to eat our crops, then Nigeria include Ibadan, the fastest growing city in Africa, things will not be easy which in Yoruba language means: Ara ko ni ro okun, ara ko ni ro adie.

"Let all the Atiku handlers know that things cannot be the same again like Buhari agenda again in Yorubaland, especially in Ibadan.

"Incidentally, we, thereby, condemn the speech of Atiku Abubakar in its entirety that Fulani herders should not be banned. This means, he has a continuous Buhari hidden agenda to take our land for cow." He stated.

He expressed the readiness of the council to collaborate with the government at all levels in the realization of the set economic goal.

"We have discussed at our meetings, the very importance of joining hands with the state and local governments, the mining exploration and collaborating in the industrial exploration, exploitation and utilization of our different mineral resources.

"It will surprise people types of catalogued of many mineral resources we have within various local governments and communities in Ibadan. We have Ibadan minerals more costly than diamond such as Sapphire, gem stone and granite." He stressed.