Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has hinted at initiating a law by the Rivers State Government to back her unwavering ban on open grazing to protect lives within the state in line with the recent resolve of South-South governors.
Wike gave the hint at the inauguration of the Isaiah Odoli/Omerelu Streets in New GRA Phase 1, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, said, ‘You can’t go to the farm anymore. Those who rear cattle will not allow your crops to grow.
‘Let me say clearly, now that the House of Assembly has come back, we have to submit the bill on Anti-Open Grazing as we agreed in the Southern Governors Forum.
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Explaining the reason for the move, Wike said; ‘So that everybody must understand it. It’s clear, without any hesitation, we must do it to protect our farms, to protect our women, to protect our youths, so that nobody will go and kill them.’
Harping again on perceived disappointment of Nigerians in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Governor said, ‘Exchange rate has now got to N510 to a Dollar. When they took over, it was N150 to a Dollar. They said they’ll give employment. Do we have employment today? Are your children employed?
‘Since APC came into power, you can now see what Nigeria has turned to. Each day you wake up, you hear people are being killed. If you watch television and read the news on newspapers, you will hear so and so number are killed or kidnapped in so and so state.
‘That is not what I thought all of us needed. The country is on oxygen (life support). Nobody knows what will happen next. As we are today, Nigeria is in dire need of help. Nigeria needs prayers; to our mothers and sisters, you must kneel down and pray to God to salvage this country.
‘The only thing they are arguing now in Rivers is that they are doing Bonny-Bodo Road. No, with due respect, that’s not correct. That road was supposed to be done by NLNG and the federal government. NLNG brought their N60billion, federal Government did not bring any Kobo.
‘Now they are trying to use the tax that NLNG is supposed to pay to do the road. The tax would have been shared from the federation account and part of the money would have come to Rivers State. So, the federal government cannot say that they’re the one doing Bonny -Bodo road. All of us are jointly doing the road.’ he lamented.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
