TheCable

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, has begun receiving 16 of his colleagues from the southern part of Nigeria for further talks on open grazing ban in the region.

The meeting will see the governors grind out details on the resolutions on open grazing ban, restructuring, fiscal federalism and the call for state police.

Some of the governors who have arrived at the meeting venue in Alausa, Ikeja, include Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo; Nyesom Wike of Rivers; Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, and Philip Shaibu, deputy governor of Edo, who is representing Godwin Obaseki, governor of the state.

Others are: Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia; Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom; Diri Duoye of Bayelsa; Willie Obiano of Anambra; Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers; Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta; David Umahi of Ebonyi; Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti; Hope Uzodimma of Imo; Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, and Oluwaseyi Makinde of Oyo.

The meeting is coming a couple of months after the same coalition of governors resolved to ban open grazing in their respective states.

The governors said the decision was taken as part of efforts to improve security in the region.

A week after the governors made the resolution, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, said the decision “does not hold water” in the context of human rights as enshrined in the constitution.

He equated the ban on open grazing  in the southern part of the country to the prohibition of spare parts trading in the north.

Days later, the presidency also weighed in on the issue.