Open Grazing: Nigerians Attack Malami

By James Orji

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has fired back at Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, just hours after the nation’s chief law officer said Northern Governors could also ban spare parts sellers, the same way Southern Governors proscribed open grazing in their area.

Apart from the Ondo Governor, those that have lashed out at Malami include Atedo Peterside, the founder of Stambic  IBTC Bank and Olu Adegboruwa, a rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN

For instance, Peterside on Thursday in a tweet said it was hypocritical of Malami to link a ban on open grazing to the constitutional right to the free movement of persons.

“It is disingenuous to link a ban on open grazing to the constitutional right to the free movement of persons. The latter does not extend to the free movement of cattle, goats, sheep etc through farms with the attendant destruction of somebody’s harvest,” Peterside said.

Adegboruwa said “You cannot deploy the right to movement of person and cattle to violate the right of another citizen to own property, such as land or farmland, or else you become a trespasser.

“It is in this regard that I disagree with the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation, when he said that the ban on open grazing is unconstitutional. That cannot represent a proper interpretation of the Constitution, with all due respect.”

17 governors from the south, last week met in Asaba, Delta state where they banned open grazing of livestock and the movement of cattle by foot from the Northern part of the country down south.

But speaking on a television programme on Wednesday, Malami described the action of the 17 governors unconstitutional, warning that northern governors could ban spare parts sales in the region, in retaliation.

Most spare parts sellers in the northern part of the country are from the south while pastoralists are predominantly Fulani from the North.

Malami said “It is a dangerous provision for any governor in Nigeria to think he can bring any compromise on the freedom and liberty of individuals to move around,” Malami said during an interview on Channels Television‘s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

“It is about constitutionality within the context of the freedoms expressed in our constitution. Can you deny the rights of a Nigerian? For example, it is as good as saying, perhaps, maybe, the northern governors coming together to say they prohibit spare parts trading in the north.”

In his response to the AGF, Governor Akeredolu who is the chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, said Malami is emotional over the issue, urging him to go to court to challenge the governors’ decision not to allow cows to be moved on foot across the south.

According to a statement personally signed by the governor on Thursday titled ‘Our Decision Irreversible and Will Be Enforced” Governor Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN like Malami said the AGF does not take the issue of life serious by comparing ban on open grazing with spare parts.

Akeredolu said “I have just read the press statement credited to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Shehu Malami SAN on the resolution of the Southern Governors Forum to ban open grazing in their respective States. The AGF is quoted to have said that this reasoned decision, among others, is akin to banning all spare parts dealers in the Northern parts of the country and is unconstitutional.

‘It is most unfortunate that the AGF is unable to distill issues as expected of a Senior Advocate. Nothing can be more disconcerting. This outburst should, ordinarily, not elicit response from reasonable people who know the distinction between a legitimate business that is not in anyway injurious and a certain predilection for anarchy.

“Clinging to an anachronistic model of animal husbandry, which is evidently injurious to harmonious relationship between the herders and the farmers as well as the local populace, is wicked and arrogant.”

The Ondo Governor said the AGF has betrayed the trust of many Nigerians who depend on him as the chief law officer of the nation for the maintenance of law and order.

He said “comparing this anachronism, which has led to loss of lives, farmlands and property, and engendered untold hardship on the host communities, with buying and selling of auto parts is not only strange. It, annoyingly, betrays a terrible mindset.

“Mr Malami is advised to approach the court to challenge the legality of the Laws of the respective States baning open grazing and decision of the Southern Governor Forum taken in the interest of their people. We shall be most willing to meet him in Court.

The decision to ban open grazing stays. It will be enforced with vigour,” the governor said.