BUHARI SUBMITS EXECUTIVE BILL TO ANNEX ALL COASTAL AND RIVERINE LAND FOR HERDSMEN, NASS DIVIDED!

READ HOW SENATOR AKPABIO IS  VEHEMENTLY OPPOSING  THE BILL

President Buhari has submitted an executive bill to the National Assembly for the Federal Government to take control of all waterways and their banks in Nigeria. Of curious attention is the annexing of thousands of lands adjoining the river banks. These  are ancestral lands belonging to poor farmers.


Without any doubt, President Buhari will, as soon as the bill is passed, hand over permanent grazing rights to his kinsmen, the Fulanis, who will come with their destructive weapons and commence expansion into/conquest of the hinterland!
Also, the bill is intended to abrogate the Land Use Act, which has vested all lands in State Governors. This amounts to bringing grazing colonies through the back door.
All Nigerians must rise up to resist this obnoxious bill aimed at enthroning and legalizing anarchy.
PLEASE AND PLEASE, circulate this fast and wide!

SENATOR AKPABIO'S FIGHT

Heated debate on an executive bill, which sought to give ownership and control of the water resources sector to the Federal Government, practically split the Senate along ethnic and regional lines yesterday.

The contentious bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to establish a regulatory framework for the water resources sector in Nigeria, provide for the equitable and sustainable development, management, use and conservation of Nigeria’s surface and groundwater resources and for related matters.”

It has already been processed by Senate Committee on Water Resources which chairman is Senator Mohammed Ubali Shitu (APC, Jigawa State) and was to be considered yesterday on a clause by clause basis before final approval.

But trouble started when Senate Minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, drew the attention of his colleagues to the fact that the bill could deprive people living along riverbanks of their basic livelihood.

Shitu, who had presented his committee’s report on the bill to the Senate earlier, insisted that the Federal Government should be empowered to have absolute control over water banks and resources in Nigeria.

Still opposing the bill, Akpabio who raised issues against Clause 3, warned against making a law that would lead to the Federal Government taking over the landed areas of riverine communities, especially communities where the water bodies dry off.

Akpabio made reference to Lake Chad which water he said used to cover 25,000 kilometres of land but had dried up to about 5,000 kilometers. He said it meant that the community now had 20,000 kilometers for farming and other activities, stressing that it would have been out of the reach of the people if the government had possessed the bank.

Senator Emmanuel Paulker (PDP, Bayelsa-Central) supported Akpabio, noting that there was a need to define what a bank is.

He also pointed out that the Federal Government was about to take over resources in the states at a time when Nigerians were calling for devolution of power.

The Majority Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe-North), however, countered Akpabio, stating that the lawmaker was arguing in error.

Lawan noted that the clause was in reference to waters like River Benue and River Niger, which flow through several states. He urged the Senate to ignore the issues raised by those opposed to the bill.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) supported Akpabio’s position declaring that the Nigeria Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA) was already having an inroad into Lagos State waters.

Senator Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto) said that the contentious provision was clear and should be adopted.

Senator Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa North) who also said that the clause should be adopted, added: “We should be more Nigerians when we are discussing national issues.”

Senator Solomon Adeola (Lagos West) cautioned that the entire Bill should be reconsidered since it has become controversial.

In a bid to prevent the debate from deteriorating and creating more trouble,  Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said that the bill should be referred to an ad-hoc committee made up of the Water Resources Committee Chairman, Shitu, Deputy Chairman, Bwacha, Chairman of the Senate committee  Judiciary, David Umaru, director legal services and Senator Barnabas Gemade, to reconsider the clause and report back in one week.  Let's arise and pray every believer that God of Heaven should arise and scatter every plan and evil agenda behind the proposed bill to be thwarted. God should set in confussion and turn their counsel to foolishness in Jesus name. Believers we should not fold our arms and put up I don't care attitude for this evil bill to cross the point of no return, God forbid. in your morning and night prayers pls remember this great Country Nigeria in Prayers.

PLEASE, SHARE THIS MESSAGE UNTIL IT REACHES ALL NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERS

It Is Not President Buhari’s Job To Curb Fulani Herdsmen – Obasanjo

 Nigeria’s Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, said that   it’s not the “job” of President Buhari to tackle the incessant rascality of Fulani herdsmen.

The Ex – President made this observation at the 23rd Annual LAPO Development Forum TAGGED, ‘Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities’, organized by the Lift Above Poverty Organization in Abuja.

Also Read: Former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Escapes Death

Obasanjo criticized those mounting pressure on the President to do something on the issue.

According to the former President:

    “Some of the words that have been coming out from our leaders, particularly from state governors are not helpful! This issue is not a federal issue and another thing I don’t like about it is that when you talk of Fulani herdsmen, people talk of the President.”

Now because the President of Nigeria is a Fulani man, you expect him to solve the problem immediately, that is not his job. And when people make comments like this, it annoys me.”


Also Read: Obasanjo Leads 135-Member Of ECOWAS Observer Team To Côte d’Ivoire Presidential Poll


“They say the President hasn’t said anything about this, that he used to be the patron of something…, but I believe that the ranching thing failed because the states and the local governments failed to do what they ought to have done.”

    “I need to state that it is the responsibility of local governments to take care of them. Now, states should have even done a lot better, but they haven’t, and then when you have cattle rustling, herdsmen and farmers conflict, you try to make it a national issue. But it is not really a national issue.”

    “For me, the herdsmen are entitled to be able to look after their animals but they are not entitled to destroy the crops of the rural farmers, it is unacceptable.”

Chief Magistrate Court sentenced 18yrs old herdman to two years imprisonment in Ekiti

Haruna Ali, 18 year old fulani herdsman, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment by the Chief Magistrate Court in Ekiti state. The herdsman was accused of unlawfully grazing his cows in a farmland in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.


Haruna who was arraigned before the Magistrate, Idowu Ayenimo, on Jan 22nd 2016 on a two-count charge of willful and unlawful damage of farm crops at Ago Aduloju in Ado-Ekiti. After the initial hearing, the case was adjourned to today September 19th.

According to the magistrate while delivering judgement, ordered, he said, the sentence should run concurrently, explaining that the term was minimal because the offence was committed before the Grazing Law was enacted in the state.