Francis Ottah Agbo

By Francis Agbo

Today, most people, his ardent critics on the issue of banning open grazing, have now turned 360 degree to commend him for seeing tomorrow!

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, banned it and backed it by law which originated as an Executive Bill to the Benue State House of Assembly. It is called Open Grazing Prohibition and Establishment of Ranches Law, 2017.

Many State Governors had individually replicated the Ortom model in their various states, the capstone of which was the yesterday’s adoption of the ban of opening grazing by the 17 Governors of Southern Nigeria. The ban is to be backed by law, fashioned after the Benue legal architecture.

The Governor (Ortom) indeed rose from being a villian to hero in the highly murky Nigeria space.

Ortom reminds me of the famous postulation of the legendary Indian Leader, Mahatma Gandhi.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win…”

Mahatma Gandhi

As spokesman of the Minority Caucus, I can authoritatively say that all lawmakers of the Minority political parties will organically collaborate with the Governors to ensure the success of the ban! I also call on all Nigerians to support this lofty ban.

Establishment of Ranches for cattle is the best global practice, open grazing is archaic, unsustainable and above all, it is antithetical to Nigeria’s development and peaceful co-existence.

The ban is therefore, for the good of man and country!

-Francis Agbo is a Member, House of Representatives at National Assembly Complex, Abuja.