Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
Anti-open grazing ban: ‘Pray for us,’ Akeredolu tells church leaders
Ondo Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) says his state and people are under serious threat of attack by persons not happy with the ban on anti-open grazing law signed by his government recently.
This is as the Ondo governor called for prayers from the church over the imminent threats the ban portends for the state and its residents.
Akeredolu, however, insisted that the decision taken by his government on the open grazing of cattle was in the best interest of the people, who he vowed to protect along with other assets of the state ‘at all cost.’
A statement by Richard Olatunde, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Akeredolu, Tuesday, quoted the Ondo State chief executive making the disclosure while receiving the Pastorate of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, led by the State Overseer, Pastor Jacob Asubiojo.
According to the statement, Akeredolu noted that the law was not targeted at anyone.
The governor was also said to have noted that the state chapter of the Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) was ready to cooperate with his administration on the open grazing ban.
The governor also announced that the state government is partnering with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to train herders on feedlot (a type of animal feeding operation).
“I want to urge you to intensify your prayers for us. We need it. You have referred to our efforts in trying to secure this our homeland. We have made efforts; we established Amotekun and banned open grazing.
“It is not what is pleasing to everybody. Some people are not pleased with us. We are ready to stand by it and face whatever it will cost us. Pray for us. Amotekun and the anti-open grazing law are not pleasing to some people and they are gathering together, planning evil. Pray for us. Their evil will not work.
“What we are saying is that your herds can not keep destroying our crops. The FAO has come and we have discussed it. The Miyetti-Allah here in Ondo appears to want to cooperate with us because they know that when their cows destroy crops, we seize their cows and they pay the farmers before they are released.
“The FAO will train them on how to do feedlot. They will be trained to make feed and take it to the cows. We are not discriminating against anybody. We just want to make it clear that you can’t make your own ends meet and destroy other people’s source of livelihood. We know your prayers are very important to us. We need it.”
