S/West Govs, Traditional Rulers Meet, Insist On Open Grazing Ban

South-West governors and traditional rulers held a closed door meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Saturday to appraise the security situation of the region.

The meeting was said to have been called by the Chief of Staff to the president, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

However, he and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and the Directir General of the Department of State Services, Bichi, could not make it to Ibadan because their flight could not take off due of bad weather.

The Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, who briefed journalists after the meeting said the governor’s and traditional rulers went ahead to meet and deliberate on issues of forest management, porous borders and fake news.

Akeredolu, who read the communique of the meeting to journalists after the meeting said, “That the meeting supported the decision of the National Economic Council on forest management; that the nation’s borders need to be fully secured and protected; that open grazing must be checked and looked at and that media practitioners must assist the country to end fake news.”

The meeting, which was held inside the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s office, Agodi, Ibadan, had in attendance five governors including the host, Governor Makinde; Governors Akeredolu of Ondo, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.

The meeting equally had in attendance the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-West, David Folawiyo, and security chiefs serving in Oyo State.

Others included the chairmen of Council of Traditional Rulers in each of the South-West states and some first class monarchs.

According to Akeredolu, the meeting was held to find lasting solutions to the lingering security issues in the zone.

Some of the traditional rulers who took part in the meeting include the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; Akarigbo of Remo, Oba Babatunde Ajayi; Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan; Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunnjso 1; and Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Oba Francis Olusola Alao.

There has been security crisis in the region in recent times and the order that unregistered herdsmen vacate the forest reserves in Ondo State had pitted Akeredolu against the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who said herdsmen and others did not need permission from Akeredolu to live in the forest.