7-day ultimatum to Fulani herders: Presidency, Akeredolu at war
On
…My ultimatum stands Ondo gov
By Dayo Johnson, Dapo Akinrefon & Johnbosco Agbakwuru
THE Presidency and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, yesterday, headed for a showdown over the ultimatum given by the latter to Fulani herders to vacate the forest reserves in the state.
While the Presidency said the governor had no constitutional powers to ask anybody to leave the state or any part of the state, the governor insisted, yesterday, that his seven days ultimatum stays.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity in Abuja, the Presidency maintained that asking the herders to leave could set off a chain of events, which the constitution anticipated and tried to guard against.
Quit Notice to Herders Unconstitutional, Presidency Cautions Akeredolu thisdaylive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisdaylive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The presidency has faulted Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s quit notice to herders in Ondo State forest reserves. Last week, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu issued a seven-day ultimatum to herders citing rising insecurity related to the activities of herders in the state’s forest reserves as the reason behind the decision.
The governor noted that “bad elements” have turned the forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom and carrying out other criminal activities.
The presidency released a statement on Tuesday in which it stated that the directive could cause a chain reaction which the makers of our constitution foresaw and tried to guard against”
Nigeria’s Presidency on Tuesday called to order Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), over his seven-day ultimatum to herders to vacate the forests in the state following growing insecurity allegedly perpetrated by the pastoralists. It expressed concern that the governor, as a legal luminary, could unilaterally issue the quit order without taking cognizance of
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Olalekan Adetayo and Peter Dada
The Presidency on Tuesday waded into the controversy generated by the directive of the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, asking herdsmen to leave the state government forest reserves.
Apart from ejecting the herdsmen, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu also banned under-aged grazing, night grazing, movement of cattle within the cities and highways. He also gave the herdsmen seven days ultimatum to comply with the order.
However, the Secretary General of the Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Usman Baba-Ngelzerma, had reacted that the association had not been formally informed.
But in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President called for restraint on the side of the state government and the Fulani communities.