Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Dr Ajibola Basiru has frowned at the statement credited to the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, over his “less than dignifying” argument in which he equated open grazing with southerners selling spare parts in the North.
Dr Basiru who spoke in his personal capacity as a patriot and Senator said “it was not dignifying of the status of the Nation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice to make such remarks.
He said equating the activities of archaic nomadic herdsmen, destroying peoples’ means of livelihood with others legitimately carrying out businesses by selling spare parts in their shops stand logic on its head.
He noted that perhaps, the Attorney General of the Federation forgot that Nigeria was a federal system with the states government empowered to make and implement laws for the peace, order and good government of or any part of their respective state.
“This power is derived from the Constitution, which with the Land Use Act, vested on the Governors the management of all land within the territory of the state,” he said.
He challenged the AGF to cite relevant sections of the constitution which allowed the herders to trespass on other people’s land and destroy the crops in the guise of freedom of movement, adding that AGF’s comment was less than patriotic.
He observed that the quest to promote unity and prosperity of Nigeria was the utmost responsibility of government and actions of persons in authority must be seen to protect the corporate existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Read him: “This primacy of this onerous responsibility cannot be over emphasized in the face of rising tensions along ethnic/regional fault lines have damaged national unity.”
The Senator noted that the statement of the Attorney General was one capable of derailing the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria and therefore called for the immediate removal from office of the AGF.
According to him: “Anyone who cannot rise above primordial sentiments and pursuit of parochial ethnic agenda needs not occupy position of trust especially at this time of sectional agitations.”
He advised those who have no meaningful contributions to make to national discourse operating on the basis of equity and justice to keep quiet and stop rubbishing the Buhari-led APC government.
He declared: “These kinds of statements have made Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of Nations and, in fact, they ridicule the Administration of President Buhari.
“These statements are not giving hope to those at the receiving ends of the activities of the herdsmen.”
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