Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Friday, stated that President Mohammadu Buhari, wants to use the recent approval of grazing reserves to victimize southern governors.
Engr. Chidi Ibeh, led Ohaneze, stated this in a release signed by the Secretary-General of the group, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and made to journalists in Abakaliki.
President Buhari, this August approved a committee to review “with dispatch,” 368 grazing sites, across 25 states in the country, “to determine the levels of encroachment.”
The president’s directive followed his approval of the recommendations of a committee chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari.
Isiguzoro, noted that with the approval, governors from the southern region will be victimized, stating that it may be federal government’s measure to checkmate the implementation of the ban on open grazing by southern Governors.
He said if any southern governor opposes the grazing reserves there is the possibility of federal government using the instruments of power to deny such governor some privileges.
The group urged the southern governors to maintain their stance on their ban on open grazing, adding: “No Governor will take the risks of donating land for grazing reserves in Igboland to Fulani herdsmen without facing the curses, excommunication, and its consequences as number one enemy of Ndigbo”.
“Ndigbo will not condone further obnoxious policies of the federal government aimed at helping the enemies especially the murderous herdsmen to erect a” TALIBAN STATE” in southeastern Nigeria.
“Southeast Governors forum had in the past given the Ndigbo verdict that there are no available lands for grazing reserves or Ruga anywhere in the East, so we hope that no Igbo Governor will sabotage this verdict, as it won’t go without sanctions.
“All southern progressive Governors are put to the test, and traps are set for them with this obnoxious and anti peoples policy. They should join the opposition party in the renunciation of this grazing reserves…as posterity will be fair to them who never betrayed the confidence of his citizens”.
He urged federal government to concentrate in the 19 Northern states where there have enormous landmass as there is no available land for grazing in the southeast.
“Extending the grazing reserves beyond North has reinforced our suspicion that federal government is determined to destroy the implementation of open grazing ban in the South and Ndigbo will withstand it”.