Herdsmen: Rep lauds Okowa’s policy

A House of Representatives member, Mr Nicholas Ossai (Delta-PDP), has commended Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta for his “no land for grazing colony’’ policy, saying it was a step well directed.

Ossai told our correspondent in Abuja that the Delta Government’s position would check the rate at which herdsmen were using their cattle to destroy farms and killing people in the state.

According to him, the policy will go a long way in putting to rest the incessant killings by herdsmen in the state.

Ossai, however, said that he was certain that the governor would await the recommendation of a Federal Government committee on the herdsmen and grazing issue before taking definite measures to secure citizens against herders.

“Our governor is somebody that respects hierarchy and will wait and study Federal Government’s final position on the issue will be before taking final decision for the state.

“We must be holistic enough and if the president has set up a committee to assess the issue and advise the executive on steps to take, I think it’s better to wait instead of going too forward before the other policy comes.

“But, we believe in Delta State that ranching is the way to go and there is no substitute to ranching. I think my governor has made that assertion very well,’’ he said.

The lawmaker stated that his Ndokwa Constituency in the state had suffered most in the herdsmen menace.

He listed communities most affected, including loss of lives, as Ossissa, Ogume, Onicha-Ukwani and Uchi, adding that they had been seriously ravaged by the herders and their cattle.

Ossai said that Delta Government had tried to restore peace and healthy relationship between herdsmen and farmers in the state, adding that security personnel had been deployed to crisis-areas to maintain peace.

For the National Assembly, he said that the recommendation of the Federal Government committee would aid the lawmakers in the direction to go in making a law on the issue.

“I believe that in no distance time the committee set up by the Federal Government will come out with recommendation on the issue.

“With it, we will be able to do a robust and all-inclusive law and legal frame work that will bring peace in Nigeria.’’