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South West Govs, Afenifere Differ On Anti-grazing Law Enforcement
Published
3 months agoon
By
EditorSouth-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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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News
Ooni: Suspended Benin Palace Functionaries Banished
Published
5 mins agoon
April 29, 2024By
EditorSix Oba of Benin palace functionaries have been ostracized.
The palace functionaries were said to have engaged themselves in a sacrilegious show of shame and falsehood against the Benin Custom and tradition.
The banished palace functionaries are Johnbull Igbinosun, Iduhonre (Ihogbe), S.E. Aigbiremwen, Efesoghoba (Ogbelaka) and two other Ogbelaka functionaries — Ogbeide Osagie and Osamudiame.
READ ALSO: Oba Of Benin Suspends Six Officials For Posing As Palace Emissaries To Ooni Of Ife
They had falsely claimed to be emissaries of the Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, His Royal Majesty, Ewuare Il, Oba of Benin in the palace of the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; (Ọjájá II), where they rendered a “disjointed account of the link between the Benin Royal Dynasty and the Ooni-ship of Ife at Ooni of Ife’s Palace in Osun State recently.”
A statement signed by Mr. Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Chief Press Secretary to the Oba of Benin on Monday April 29, 2024, said they admitted before a committee led by Chief Ekhoerovbiye Oviasogie, the Uwangue of Benin that they erred against Benin Customs.
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The Uwangue of Benin, who described their action as a deliberate attempt to rubbish Benin Kingdom, pronounced the suspension of the Palace functionaries.
Consequently, they were also stripped off of Benin Royal beads, recognition as palace functionaries and their traditional titles, which were handed over to the ancestors.
The suspended palace functionaries were also barred from parading themselves as Benin palace functionaries and stopped from participating in any traditional rites in Benin.
They were thereafter escorted out of the Palace by Chiefs, including Ewaise (traditional seers) with occipital horns invoked ancestral spirits to bear witness.
News
2024 UTME: 77% Of 1.8M Candidates Score Less Than 200
Published
1 hour agoon
April 29, 2024By
EditorSeventy-seven per cent of the 1,842,464 candidates whose 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results were released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Monday scored less than 200.
Giving a breakdown of the results of the 1,842,464 candidates released, the Board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede noted that, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”
The Board is expected to announce the minimum benchmark for the 2024/2025 academic session admissions during its policy meeting to be held at a later date.
READ ALSO: 2024 UTME: JAMB Withholds Results Of 64,624 Candidates
Over the years the benchmark for admissions to universities has hovered around 180 to 200.
Oloyede also gave the new format for acceptance of admissions.
He said, “ Either a candidate sends ACCEPT/REJECT on his dedicated phone line to 55019/66019, or a candidate accepts or rejects any admission offer (programme change inclusive) with his/her fingerprint (biometric) at an accredited CBT centre or any JAMB Office.
“The above newly-crafted methods of accepting or rejecting admissions, are aimed at protecting the details of the candidates and upholding the sanctity of the admission process.
“With this new method, the candidates’ registered phone (SIM) is now more important than ever as it is now required to perform even more sensitive operations. We are in discussions with NCC on dedicated student’s SIM with restricted services.”
News
Libel: Delta Court Orders Linda Ikeji To Pay NBM N30m Damages
Published
1 hour agoon
April 29, 2024By
EditorA Delta State High Court in Effurun has awarded N30 million damages against popular Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji, for a libellous publication against the Neo-Black Movement of Africa.
The lawsuit had Registered Trustees of NBM of Africa, Ese Kakor, Felix Kupa and Mayor Onyebueke as the Claimants against Linda Ikeji as Defendant.
In a ruling on Monday, in Suit No: EHC/210/2021, Presiding Justice Roli Daibo-Harriman, also ordered the absent Defendant, to pay N300,000 as being the cost of litigation.
The Defendant was further ordered to place a publication on her blog and national dailies retracting the libellous publication for which the NBM dragged her to the court, just as she is restrained from further damaging publications against the Claimants.
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The NBM of Africa took to court action after she failed to honour a letter by the Claimant demanding retraction and apology over the libellous article published on her blog on Oct. 19, 2021.
The blogger in her publication of 19 October 2021 allegedly labelled the NBM of Africa as a dreaded cult group, black axe, and criminal organisation among other names.
The Claimants approached the court, praying for N1bn damages and an unreserved apology to be published on her blog and two national dailies among others.
Justice Daibo-Harriman, in her ruling, described the tags, including dreaded cultist group, black axe and criminal organisation as used in the Defendant’s publication as all defamatory.
Counsel to the Claimants, Kelvin Agbroko, noted that the ruling, “Will serve as a lesson to bloggers that it is not every item you publish. It is good to verify information before making a publication.
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He said, “NBM of Africa is a legal organisation duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. The publication made by the Defendant against my client has been cleared that it was a damaging publication.
“NBM is good to go, we are going to take all necessary steps to enforce the terms of the judgment against her. It was an erudite judgement that is all-encompassing and will be difficult to fault.”
President of the NBM of Africa, Ese Kakor said the outcome of the case had been on for about two years.
He said, “What Ikeji did was just to sell in a bid to defame the character of NBM of Africa. It is very wrong.
“I advised other bloggers not to follow the same steps as they may also face similar litigation. Do not try and defame peoples’ character. NBM has nothing to do with cultism, black axe. It is not a criminal organisation but a well-registered organisation.”
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