The Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, said on Saturday, the 19 northern countries have started the practice of turning cattle rearing into a huge business for herdsmen in the area.
Lalong said this during the 7th Annual Lecture of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna.
He said the northern governors had consented that open grazing is unsustainable and initiated measures to finish it since February.
He stressed the Northern Governors’ Forum has been pushing for solutions to both open grazing and harshly sensitising herdsmen to embrace new procedures for their small business.
The Plateau governor’s statement came more than two weeks following the Southern Governors’ Forum banned open grazing and movement of cattle in the area.
Lalong explained: “I want to emphasise that we don’t have any intention of politicizing this matter
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“Our interest will be to transform it into only economic activity and end the negative facets of the current practice without creating new issues.
“In actuality, some governors have started procedures to ending open grazing within their states.
“Kaduna includes a ranch using DANO milk as a pilot; Plateau has sent a bill on ranching to State Assembly, Zamfara, Kano, Taraba, Niger, and Nasarawa have begun the ranch constructions.
“Benue State has experienced anti-grazing legislation for some years. Northern governors are currently walking the talk”
