Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has thrown its weight behind the declaration of a total ban on open grazing by governors of the 17 states in the Southern part of Nigeria.

The position of the organisation was contained in a statement by its acting Leader, Ayo Adebanjo, and made available to journalists in Ibadan by National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi.

He said, “Afenifere is in total support of the position of these governors, belated as it was. As the saying goes, it is better late than never.”

According to him, when Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State enacted the law and he was being vilified left, right and centre by Fulani herders, was when the governors ought to have stood up with him. 

It would be recalled that when Ortom was being attacked for enacting the law and he ran to President Muhammadu Buhari, rather than giving him the necessary backing, the President asked him to go and make peace with those who were harassing his people. 

Similar thing also occurred when Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State gave a related order in his state.

“That was when other governors should have stood up and spoken with one voice. They ought to remember the saying, an injury to one is an injury to all. Their failure to do so then was what gave the herders the audacity to spread their dastardly acts to other states to the extent of openly daring the governors", he said.

Adebanjo who commended the governors for their present stance, expressed the hope that they would back their declaration with necessary actions.

“Now that the governors have woken up, it is hoped that they would put all necessary machinery in motion to ensure that open grazing is stopped with immediate effect in all the states, particularly in the south. Open grazing is anachronistic, it is obsolete, it is no longer fashionable”, he stated. 

He added that those who may be opposing the move by the Southern governors should be ignored as they are enemies of progress and peaceful co-existence in the country.