Plateau Governor, Lalong is chair of Northern States Governors Forum
By Anthony Maliki
The Northern States Governors Forum has expressed concern over the tension generated by the eviction order issued to herdsmen in some parts of the country.
It said the order is heating the already fragile security atmosphere with threats of reprisals which the Northern Governors are working assiduously to contain.
This was contained in a communique at the end of the Forum’s virtual emergency meeting on Monday February 8, 2021 to discuss issues affecting the region and the nation in general presided over by its Chairman and Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong.
In the communique signed by Governor Lalong, the stressed the urgent need for the Forum to meet and discuss the issue wholistically with a view to resolving all areas of misunderstanding and conflicts arising from these threats and suspicion for the sake of national unity.
The communique noted with concern that the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing is no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanization and population of the country.
Consequently, Forum resolved to aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adapt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods.
It therefore appealed to the Federal Government to support states with grants to directly undertake pilot projects of modern livestock production that will serve as springboard and evidence for breaking resistance to the full implementation of new methods of livestock production.
Besides, the governors resolved to engage elders and youths in a robust discussion with a view to dousing the tensed security environment in the north and a four-man Committee was put in place to be headed by the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum.
The communique further called for restraint from leaders including those in the southern parts of the country where passions are high and also called on all the citizens of the north to continue to live in peace with all Nigerians irrespective of their origins and backgrounds.
It called on political leaders to also segregate between criminality and social groups in their domains with a view to treating criminals as criminals and condemned every form of criminality whether from herders, hunters, or farmers occupying forest reserves illegally.
Furthermore, the Forum noted with concern the growing wave of insecurity in the country particularly as it relates to circulation of unverified video clips on social media portraying violent attacks on persons in some parts of the country.
On its quest to acquire COVID-19 testing mobile vehicles, the governors received briefing on the procurement of the vehicles which was still ongoing with the first batch about to be received.
The Forum congratulated the newly appointed service chiefs and resolved to collaborate with them in enhancing the security of the region and the nation at large.
