Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, says the resolve to ban open grazing by southern governors is equivalent to prohibiting spare parts trading in the north.
Last Tuesday, southern governors resolved to ban open grazing and the movement of cattle by foot, after a meeting in Asaba, Delta state.
The resolutions of the southern governors have been greeted with mixed reactions from different parts of the country.
Speaking on the development on Wednesday in an interview on Channels Television, Malami faulted the decision of the southern governors, saying it does not align with the provisions of the constitution.
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The attorney-general said the decision “does not hold water” in the context of human rights as enshrined in the constitution.
“It is about constitutionality within the context of the freedoms expressed in our constitution. Can you deny the rights of a Nigerian?” he queried.
“For example: it is as good as saying, perhaps, maybe, the northern governors coming together to say they prohibit spare parts trading in the north.
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“Does it hold water? Does it hold water for a northern governor to come and state expressly that he now prohibits spare parts trading in the north?”
Malami asked the southern governors to facilitate the amendment of the 1999 constitution (as amended) to prohibit open grazing.
“If you are talking of constitutionally guaranteed rights, the better approach to it is to perhaps go back to ensure the constitution is amended,” he said.
“Freedom and liberty of movement among others established by the constitution, if by an inch you want to have any compromise over it, the better approach is go back to the national assembly to say open grazing should be prohibited and see whether you can have the desired support for the constitutional amendment.
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“It is a dangerous provision for any governor in Nigeria to think he can bring any compromise on the freedom and liberty of individuals to move around.”
18 comments
Are they selling spare parts in the bush?
Malami must be high on something when he made this statement otherwise something must be wrong with his brain. Does spare parts dealers go to peoples’ farmlands to eat up their crops, kill the owners of the farms in the process? do they go about villages to villages killing, raping, and kidnapped innocent people for ransoms? if the answers to these questions are no then his comparison just prove one thing that the southerners are less humans compare to fulanis as far as him and the one holding his leach are concern. How did he becomes a minister in the first place?
This Malami is soooooo daft. Move around, but don’t move cattle around!…does the constitution guarantees cattle moving around and destroying other people’s farms???…..This kind of minds at ministerial level is why Nigeria is where she is!
Mr Attorney, the two business cannot and is not the same. Grazing business involves one, moving about his business from one farm to another, destroying people’s agricultural business, attacking farmers at night, forcefully repelling those who seek that their farmlands are not destroyed by cows and then the business people move their goods( cows) at night without regulation.
Spare parts dealers are people who goes to the wharf, clear their goods and pays the revenue to the GOVERNEMNT,; move the goods to maidugri, rent or buys premises for their business, pays security and other government revenues; adhere to the state approved time of opening and closing of shops; relocate to other places whenever government wants to demolish their markets; and then pay taxes to the GOVERNEMNT.
You can go back to your reading desk and check which of the business that have constitutional backing or not.
No need ammending the Constitution when there is an unconstitutional scenario.
The best is to regulate grazing in Nigeria. Let us stop deceiving ourselves. I stopped my mother from farming this season, because am afraid that she might be attacked by the HERDSMEN. You know the implications for my family .
LOL, this kind of Oga Malami sef. Banning open grazing is like banning spare part. I can see that he rides cows to work. Let him.even start today to ride the cows na. Ban spare parts please. Drive all the spare parts dealers away and let me see how you survive. Its only this kind of people who earn privilege through politics that can speak in this manner. Open grazing is not safe for anybody anymore. If it was safe, it would never be an issue. You should let the grazing happen in your compound Oga Malami in the spirit if freedom of movement.
I foresee the northerners causing the dissolution of this great nation by their comments.
For God sake this man is an attorney general of the federation not for the north, he should be diplomatic in his response.
If the Attorney General can say this, it means this government is the problem of itself as far as insecurity is concerned. How can he compare spare part sellers with these ruthless herders who value cows more than human being? It means there are so many Malamis in this government whose thinking actions are against the peace and unity of this country. May God help us.
The constitution allows the movement of citizens and not movement of animals or livestock.
With the benefit of hindsight, this is apt because livestock/animals can in the process of movement constitute unnecessary nuisance. Malami has spoken like an uninformed!
He is privileged does not mean he is wise.
What if Malami is right? Spare parts are articles of trade just as live stocks are articles of trade. You need spaces for both of them to carry on your businesses. You are either the owner of the space or a rented if you do not have capicity to acquire a space of your own. In the case of the later, then you a guest/tenant in the host community. The problem arise where you can not afford a space in your host community either as spare parts dealers or live stock business owner. Then you will be consider as a trespasser. At point government comes in to prevent breakdown of law and order that may ensure between the host community (landowners) and the guest businessmen (potential tenants). How, where, what and when the governments (the arbiters) intervene is crucial to a peaceful coexistence of the these two will-be law abiding groups.
There’s no intelligence in Malami’s comparison at all. Better to compare ranching across states with spare parts businesses. When sentiments becloud your judgement, you begin to talk O.P, whether SA of Nigeria/Nonsense.
He sound as if he is one of them. Consitutions can be ammended in times of danger. If they can not do the time, they should not be committing crime or disrespecting others right. Malami to revisit the constitution
I cannot believe that this character is the AG of Nigeria. What law school trained him to equate “freedom and liberty of individuals to move around” to freedom of cows to move around. He must have been taught that “cows” are considered “persons” in law.
Resign!
This is the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice comparing the prohibition of open grazing with spare part. As long as the system continue to throw up people like this as a minister, then Nigeria cannot get better. This government parades the worst set of minister, it’s indeed shameful that the custodian of the law will open his mouth on national television to exposed his sorry state of intellectual bankruptcy.
The is a case of being dangerously cognitively challenged and coming from the Attorney General of the Federation makes it doubly so. This is a fellow that has been largely silent in the face of the onslaughts and security challenges confronting almost all regions of the country. To suggest that the ban on open grazing is an assault on any of the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution is likely saying arming robbery and kidnapping are legitimate businesses and legislating against either is a breach of some rights.
I foresee the northerners causing the dissolution of this great nation by their comments.
For God sake this man is an attorney general of the federation not for the north, he should be diplomatic in his response.
Is Malami a real lawyer or is he impersonating someone? His logic and comparative analysis is zero. I really feel sorry for this country if he is the best we’ve got to be in that position!
There are limitations on the exercise of fundamental human rights. Obviously you cannot destroy other people’s lives and properties under the guise of exercising your own rights. How has the spare parts dealers infringed on the rights of their hosts like the so called herders? Mr Malami is a disgrace to Nigerians