Former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, has welcomed the resolution by the Southern Governors’ Forum to ban open grazing in the region.
Mimiko, in a statement on Thursday, joined the Southern National Assembly caucus and other stakeholders from the zone in backing the outlawed open cattle grazing system, describing it as “commendable”.
“The resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum, at the end of its meeting in Asaba, Delta State, on May 11 2021, is commendable,” he said.
“It is also salutary that members of the Southern Caucus of the National Assembly have weighed in. It’s all a reflection of the realization of the fact that the nation may be perching at the precipice, and of the urgent need to pull her back”.
According to the former governor, the “next step is for the Southern Governors to meet with their Northern counterparts to iron out what may just be minor areas of difference in substance and timeliness”.
He assured that there “cannot be any reasonable arguments against decentralization of policing to ensure the emergence of compact and efficient sub-national forces under State (sub-national government control).
“There surely cannot be any disagreement amongst the Governors on the issue of devolution of resources from the centre. The present Revenue Allocation formula has long been statutorily due for review. New sources of revenue will surely be needed for state policing, and to address ongoing security”.
Mimiko, however, expressed firm belief that “we may actually be closer to a national consensus on short to medium term solutions to our present challenges than we imagine”.
