Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC – Nasarawa West) has expressed disappointment with the Southern governors over the ban on open grazing imposed in the region.
He equated the Southern governors’ move to openly calling for Nigeria’s break-up, saying it could further fan the embers of division in the country.
The two-term governor of Nasarawa State disclosed this in an interview published by Sunday Sun.
Recall that the 17 Southern governors met in Asaba, Delta on May 11 and came out with a 12-point communique, including the ban on open grazing of cattle in the region.
The ban has generated kudos and knocks in equal measure from different sections of the country.
Weighing in on the controversy, Adamu said, “They (Southern governors) are sounding like a broken record. You know what a broken record does? It cracks.
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“I expected them to be more educated people with responsibility of governance. Each of those governors is under an oath for loyalty, for preservation of the sovereignty of this country.
“That means every one of them is duty-bound to stay away from any act or words that have the tendency of being perceived as being separatists.
“I was a governor for eight years. I know what the Governors’ Forum is. I headed it for five years of my right years. Before that, I was chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum. So, the secretariat you see and the bureaucracy I set them up during my time.”
Adamu added, “Before the Asaba Accord, there was a meeting of all the state governors. About 36 of them were there. Less than a week of that meeting, some people came out and claimed Southern Governors Forum. There is nothing wrong with regional bodies.
“But these governors know the constitution and they know that every Nigerian has the right of movement and association. A right to pursue legitimate goals. These governors are saying no cattle or open grazing. What is the alternative? Have they provided any? If Northern governors come together and take a position, what will happen? What right have you to tell Nigerians not to move freely?
“If northern groups say no southern business in the area, how will that end up? There are killings of northerners going on in the South. If the North decides to retaliate, we will call it genocide. What is happening to us? We only know about problems, but not solutions. People are openly calling for a break up of the country.”