ABUJA / ADO-EKITI – The Southern Sena­tors’ Forum has com­mended steps taken by state governors from the region to stem the rise in insecurity.

The forum disclosed this on Wednesday in a statement jointly signed by its Chair­man, Secretary General, and Publicity Secretary, Senators Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ek­iti), Matthew Uroghide (PDP-Edo) and Chukwuka Utazi (PDP-Enugu).

The forum lauded the gov­ernors for out rightly taking a firm position on burning national issues, including banning the open grazing of cattle.

The senators said that such a unanimous policy would check those hiding under cat­tle grazing to unleash terror of kidnapping and killing on the residents of the region.

The governors at a meeting in Asaba, on Tuesday, unani­mously passed a verdict pro­hibiting open grazing in the region among other positions.

The senators said the step would help secure the region and return it to the path of peace.

The senators lamented how farmers in the region were losing millions of naira to plundering of food crops through encroachments on farmlands thereby exposing the region to famine and acute food scarcity.

“At this critical point of our national life when the economy is being bedeviled by galloping inflation, youth unemployment and insecuri­ty, food security is very crucial to mitigate the effects of these diverse evils on the citizens.

“Available records have shown that attaining food se­curity status would remain a mirage in the South owing to ravaging effect of outdated livestock grazing policy being unleashed on farmlands by some unscrupulous herders.

“Most appalling is the seemingly unabated kidnap­ping, raping and killing of our people by suspected herds­men, who have become ban­dits heating up the system.

“With this uniform resolve by our governors to initiate no-open grazing policy, the region will return to its peaceful and agriculturally self -sufficient status it had assumed even long before Nigeria’s amalga­mation in 1914,” they said.

They also saluted the gov­ernors for the expediency and the need for speedy restruc­turing of the country.

They said it would help to remove the incessant agita­tions over alleged neglect of certain sections of the coun­try.

The forum stated that only equity and justice in the run­ning of the country would wipe out ethnic tension, re­store peace and stability and end ethnic agitations.

They, therefore, encour­aged the governors to swiftly follow up their resolutions by immediately approaching the leadership of the National As­sembly with a view to work­ing together.

They said the National Assembly would ensure that their positions on restruc­turing, state police and the ban on open grazing were ad­dressed through the ongoing constitution review.

Ndume Faults Southern Govs On Open Grazing Ban

Meanwhile, Ali Ndume, Chairman, Senate Commit­tee on Army, has faulted the unanimous decision of South­ern governors banning open grazing of cattle in the region.

Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South at the Senate, while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, said Nigeria’s se­curity problem is not about open grazing of cattle.

According to him, the is­sue of insecurity is unique to each geopolitical zone.

“The governors are deviat­ing from the matter. The prob­lem is not about open grazing. The problem is security. Most of the insecurity problems confronting Nigeria is not in the bush.

“We have four different types of security challenges. We have the insurgency in the North-East, IPOB through the Eastern Security Network (ESN) is creating insecurity in the South-East, there is banditry in the North-West.

“It is only in the North-Cen­tral that we have issues of farmers-herders clashes. There is less problem in the South-West except for the clashes between the herds­men and the farmers and the agitators for the Yoruba nation.

“Similarly, in the South- South, they are trying to in­stigate the Avengers but so far the area is peaceful. The issue of insecurity is unique to each zone.”

Ndume reiterated that the military must be provided with adequate weapons to prosecute the war against insurgency.

He also said salaries and al­lowances of military person­nel ought to be paid on time, calling on President Muham­madu Buhari to priortise the issue of security.

“That means even if they will stop paying us and use the money to tackle security. Is it not when you are secure that you talk of other things? It is not only the politicians but everybody.

“If you know that you can­not move out of your house and they say sacrifice your salary, won’t you do it? Many people are working from home, yet they are being paid. They should stop paying sala­ries and address the whole is­sue of insecurity. If you don’t have money, stop paying sala­ries and allowances and use the money to provide security.

“If you are borrowing money to provide infrastruc­ture, why can’t we borrow money to protect our people?” Ndume queried.