Your order on grazing reserves wrong, Onitiri to Buhari

*Chief Adesunbo Onitiri

(Nigeria) President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised not to give order that will polarize the country in the interest of peace, unity and stability of Nigeria. 

This advice was given by a renowned socio-political activist and critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri in a statement in Lagos on Monday. 

According to Chief Onitri, this order would would cause a clash between the President and the state governors which is avoidable. 

"I beg to disagree with the recent Grazing Reserve Order of Mr President when considered alongside with the plea of Mr President with the Service chiefs not to make him fail in his governance. 

"Any sane mind will find this two conflicting stand point very absurd. The Land Use Act which is part of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and which President Buhari swore to uphold firmly placed administration of land in the purview of state Governors.

"The state Governors  have already taken a stand point to ban open grazing in their respective states. The federal government has no constitutional authority  to impose order on state lands. 

"Why then is President Buhari giving an order to impose any land policy on any state to create grazing reserves for ranches which are for private businesses. It’s clearly unconstitutional which our President clearly vowed to uphold.

"What's this Grazing Reserve order of President Buhari meant to achieve? This order is meant to make Buhari administration fail woefully. 

"We don't want our country turned into Afghanistan.  We are all living witnesses to the lawlessness,  killing and maiming of people by the Taliban terrorists."

He implored the state governors to speedily sign the anti grazing bills into law and repeal the archaic open grazing route and centres.

He also called on President Buhari to immediately go into discussions with the state Governors with aim of finding permanent solution to the Herders and farmers problems. 

"We urgently need to find solutions to this Fulani herders problem. It has become a national problem and can lead to serious inflammation in future. 

"We urge President Buhari to try and unite this country and not further divide it. There is strength in our diversity.  We have no other country we can call our own. We all have equal rights and stakes in this country, Nigeria," Onitiri added.