Senate Spokesman and Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, has knocked the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami over his statement equating open grazing with southerners selling auto spare parts in the North.
Dr. Basiru describing the AGF’s line of thought as ‘less than dignifying’, added that “it was not dignifying of the status of the nation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice to make such remarks.”
The Senator said equating the activities of archaic nomadic herdsmen destroying peoples means of livelihood with others legitimately carrying on businesses by selling spare parts in their shops, stand logic on its head.
He noted that perhaps, the AGF forgot that Nigeria is 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 is less than patriotic.
Basiru observed that the quest to promote unity and prosperity of Nigeria is the utmost responsibility of government and actions of persons in authority must be seen to protect the corporate existence the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“This primacy of this onerous responsibility cannot be over emphasized in the face rising tensions along ethnic/regional fault lines have damaged national unity,” he added.
