As part of measures to address the menace of incessant herdsmen attack in the country, the Federal Government has been urged to as a matter of urgency commence the concrete movement and mapping of 500km cattle routes across the nation.
This was part of the resolutions of the Kwara State House of Assembly, following a Motion on Need to Address Incessant Clashes Between Farmers and Herdsmen in Kwara State, raised by member representing Kaiama/Kemanji/ Wajibe Constituency, Ahmed Ibn Mohammed.
Deputy speaker, Mathew Okedare, who presided over the plenary had while reading the resolutions of the House, explained that the need became expedient in order to permanently find solutions to the problem threatening the corporate existence of the country.
The legislature equally enjoined the state government to constitute Farmers Herdsmen Committee in both state and local government levels as provided for in the State Farmers and Herdsmen Prevention and Settlement of Dispute Law and Grazing Reserves Law in the state.
The House also called on the state government to direct the state ministries of agriculture, forestry, environment and information, to collaborate with a view to sensitising the general public, especially the farmers and herdsmen on the need to maintain harmonious relationship to forestall clashes among them.
Ibn Mohammed, who sponsored the Motion, recalled the colossal human and material lost the state in particular and nation had to incur due to the incessant attacks, and urged government as well as other stakeholders to rise to the current security challenge in the state.
Other members who spoke on the Motion expressed displeasure over lack of political will by the executive arm of government to implement existing laws and resolutions of the House and emphasised the need for the state government to constitute committee to prevent further farmers/herdsmen clash in the state.
The House equally mandated its committees on Energy Works and Transport and Health, Environment and Forestry to investigate Matters of General Public Importance raised by members representing Oke – Ogun and Omupo Constituencies, Barrister Kamal Fagbemi and Mashood Bakare over undue exploitation of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and indiscriminate felling of economic trees in the state and report its finding to the plenary in the next two weeks.
