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South West Govs, Afenifere Differ On Anti-grazing Law Enforcement

Published

1 year ago

January 20, 2024

South-West governors and a pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, have differed over the enforcement of the anti-grazing law by states in the region.

While the state governments insisted that the law had always been implemented in their various states, Afenifere explained that enforcing the already enacted laws would stop the incessant invasion of the herders who often fed their cattle with farm produce of the farmers.

Apart from the Ekiti State Government which enacted the Anti-grazing law in 2016, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos and Ondo states okayed the law in 2021.

Despite the existing law, herdsmen still engage their cattle in open grazing in the South-West region.

In March 2023, farmers in Ido-Ekiti in Ido-Osi Local Government Area called on Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State to enforce the anti-grazing law against invaders of their farms.

However, the state government maintained that the state was implementing the anti-grazing law enacted in the state and that the Herder’s Farmers Peace Committee inaugurated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji was part of the implementation process.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Ebenezar Boluwade, added that the state government was meeting with stakeholders to ensure that the committee brought new initiatives and development into the farming community.

In Ondo State, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the state governor, Adetunji Adeleye revealed that right from its inception in 2020, the law had been effective in the 18 local government areas of the state.

Adeleye, who spoke with The PUNCH, added that several defaulters had been lawfully punished.

He said, “We prosecuted some of the suspects recently, they are going to jail and the standard is that; they will compensate the farmers and pay the government fines as an alternative to going to jail. Initially, we used to have up to 5,000 petitions on the herdsmen destroying farmers farms but we now have less than 100 even as low as 10. So, the law is very much effective in Ondo State.”

In Lagos State Government, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, told one of our correspondents that unlike other states in the region, Lagos was not affected by grazing problems, saying, “One thing you must know is that Lagos is not a state that has the kind of grazing problem that other states have.”

In Ogun State, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Mr Lekan Adeniran, maintained that the implementation of the anti-open grazing law was the responsibility of the police and other security agencies, noting that it was their duty to enforce any law made by the government.

Meanwhile, Afenifere has called on the six governors from the region to facilitate an immediate enforcement of the anti-grazing law.

The group explained that enforcing the already enacted anti-grazing laws would stop the incessant invasion of the cattle herders who often fed their cattle with the crops and farm produce of farmers.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, the six governors of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Lagos, Ondo, and Ekiti States were urged to commit their pledge to the establishment of cattle ranches across the region, saying it would represent “the inimitable values of the Yoruba as a people embedded with the mechanism to resolve even the most difficult of issues with irrepressible ease.”

The statement partly read, “The Afénifére enjoins the six governors of the South-West to, at some point, make a definite pledge to commit to the establishment of cattle ranches across all Yoruba speaking states.

“Also in the same guise, and as a matter of urgency, our governors must do more to protect our farmers, subsistence and commercial, from being preyed upon by the so called “cattle-grazers”, whose intent are very doubtful, and from there mode of operation, are often killers of our people.”
PUNCH

News

Lagos Suspends BRT Lane Enforcement On Eko Bridge, Odo Iya-Alaro

Published

5 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has temporarily suspended enforcement of the Bus Rapid Transit lane along the Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro corridor to ease growing traffic congestion.

This gridlock is a result of the ongoing structural rehabilitation on the Ogudu-Ifako Bridge expansion joint.

Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa announced the suspension on Wednesday, describing it as a strategic move to tackle gridlock in affected parts of the city.

“This remedial measure, conceived as a palliative response to mitigate commuter hardship, aligns with the Lagos State Government’s forward-thinking and adaptive transportation strategy under the THEMES Plus Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, particularly within the framework of sustainable traffic management and infrastructure modernisation,” Giwa said.

He explained that the temporary suspension is a transitional and conditional measure aimed at absorbing the anticipated vehicular overflow caused by the partial closure of the Ifako-bound carriageway of the Third Mainland corridor.

“We are fully cognizant of the immense strain currently imposed on key ingress routes into the Lagos Mainland. Consequently, this tactical suspension of BRT lane enforcement is a calculated response designed to deliver immediate relief, reduce commuting time, and preserve the fluidity of vehicular movement throughout the duration of the bridge repairs,” he added.

According to him, the directive takes immediate effect and allows general vehicular access to previously restricted BRT corridors on Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro, particularly during peak travel periods.

He said this move is expected to expand available road capacity and ease traffic along critical routes.

Giwa, however, stressed that commercial buses and articulated vehicles must remain in compliance with existing safety rules and loading guidelines to avoid worsening traffic conditions or compromising public safety.

He also disclosed that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been mobilised to strengthen its presence along the affected corridors.

“Enhanced personnel deployment and traffic equipment are now in place to ensure orderly conduct, prevent exploitation of the temporary suspension, and respond promptly to any emergent traffic disturbances,” Giwa stated.

News

Lagos Opens Teacher Recruitment Portal For Two Weeks

Published

5 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has announced the reactivation of its teaching job recruitment portal to allow qualified individuals to apply for entry-level teaching positions.

In a notice issued by the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission on Tuesday, the portal will be open for applications from Tuesday, July 1 to Monday, July 14, 2025.

“The Lagos State Teaching Service Commission is set to reactivate its Recruitment Portal as a bold step towards improving access to employment opportunities, equity, and fairness.

“The job portal, which will be accessible for two weeks (Tuesday, July 1st 2025, to Monday, July 14th, 2025), is intended to provide a centralised platform where individuals can apply for State Teaching jobs at the entry level (GL 08) in their relevant fields,” the notice read.

The move, according to the Commission, is aimed at improving access to employment opportunities in the education sector while ensuring equity and fairness.

TESCOM urged interested applicants with a degree in Education or other relevant qualifications to visit the official portal https://tescomjobs.lagosstate.gov.ng and apply for teaching roles at Grade Level 08.

The notice was signed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission.

News

FG Unveils N50m Grant To Boost Student Innovation, Entrepreneurship

Published

6 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced a N50m Student Grant Venture Capital Initiative to support scaling student-led enterprises in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Alausa said the initiative aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by turning homegrown research into commercially viable products and services.

The minister made the announcement on Wednesday in Abuja when he inaugurated the Research and Innovation Commercialisation Committee.

He said the scheme, which will be anchored by TETFund in partnership with the Bank of India, targets undergraduate students in 300-level and above with viable business models and innovations ready for market expansion.

According to the minister, the development is aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of transitioning Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-driven one.

“We have hundreds of thousands of young geniuses across our institutions. This fund is designed to unlock their potential and help them build globally competitive enterprises,” the minister said.

On her part, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, described the inauguration as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s education and innovation history.

“For too long, research in our tertiary institutions has been reduced to tools for promotion rather than solutions for development. This must change,” she said.

In his response, the Committee Chairman, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, described the RICC as “a matter of national urgency”, noting that Nigeria’s research investment as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest when compared to peer nations.