Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri has said there were no cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa, explaining that his people are predominantly farmers.
Governor Diri made the assertion while responding to questions on the President’s recent directive to revive cattle grazing routes across the country.
He spoke on Saturday in Yenagoa, during his maiden media chat as part of activities to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration.
Governor Diri explained that although he was not countering the federal government’s decision to resuscitate grazing routes, he said his administration had put in place a legal framework to ban open grazing and movement of cattle on foot.
The Bayelsa governor also emphasised that the southern governors had adopted the same position on the issue as part of measures to check farmers and herders clashes across the country.
Diri maintained that his government could not afford to expose its citizenry to the looming danger.
His words: “For us, there are no cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa State. Our people are traditionally and occupationally fishermen. The idea of cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa is very strange to us in this part of the country.”
Senator Diri, who pointed out that in a federal system of government, states have the rights to enact laws to regulate the activities of their people, stressed that the prohibition on open grazing of cattle would be fully implemented in the state.
“There may be cattle grazing routes in the north but what is applicable in the north may not be applicable to us in the south. I don’t want to believe we are running a unitary system of government.”
