El-Rufai slams his counterparts for having anti-grazing laws

Governor Nasir El-Rufai has slammed his Lagos counterpart Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other southern governors for having anti-open grazing laws in their states, accusing them of playing to the gallery.

“What is unhelpful is the politicizing of the situation with legislation that you know that you cannot implement,” he argued.

Southern states governors like Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, among others, have signed the anti-open grazing law in their respective states.

The 17 southern governors had met on three different occasions this year and agreed to enact the anti-open grazing laws as a measure of curtailing insecurity.

But Mr. El-Rufai, who spoke at a forum on ‘Human Capital Development Communications Strategy Validation Meeting’, organized by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led National Economic Council in Abuja on Tuesday, accused the southern governors of politicizing killer herdsmen’s atrocities.

The governor suggested ranching as the solution to ending killer herdsmen’s violence, pointing out that the Northern States Governors Forum had agreed on ranching.

“We must move towards ranching. But moving towards ranching cannot be done overnight. We have to plan. We have to have resources,” Mr. El-Rufai asserted.

The Kaduna governor further explained that ranching must be implemented “sensibly.”

“It is not a matter of populist legislation or saying tomorrow this or that,” Mr. El-Rufai asserted. “It is not a solution.”