Ijaw Nation Forum (INF), an online social
mobilisation platform for the Ijaws, have queried Governor Seriake
Dickson of Bayelsa over the controversial allocation of a grazing land in Yenagoa
measuring about 1200 hectares to cattle herdsmen.
In an open letter addressed to
the governor dated 6 July 2017 and entitled, "The Menace Of The Cattle
Herdsmen And Ijaw Peoples' Security", the forum questioned the rationale
behind the allocation of the grazing area to the herdsmen.
In the eight-point-demand letter
signed by Benedict Amaebi Okoro, INF’s moderator, the forum asked Dickson to
"give reasons why Bayelsa State in the South-South region seems to have
officially established "grazing land" for the cattle herders from
outside the state".
The INF also asked the governor to explain how the cattle would access
the allocated space without passing through other areas.
The letter read in part:
"There have been several ugly stories coming from nearby Delta and Edo
States concerning the seemingly life and livelihood threatening activities of
these herdsmen in recent times.
"Are there other measures
Bayelsa State has adopted to prevent such occurrences, aside from the grazing
land already allocated to the herdsmen?
"How did the Bayelsa State
government reach the conclusion that allocation of grazing land to herdsmen
would be beneficial to an average Ijaw person; and was consideration given to
the atrocities being committed by these herdsmen elsewhere in the country, in
reaching that conclusion?
"Is the allocation of
grazing land to the herdsmen another expansion of Bayelsa Business Initiative?
"Is the allocation of
grazing land to herdsmen a public/private partnership project and what
percentage is the state government providing in funding it? Kindly avail us of
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between government and the partner.
"Who are the cow owners and
private partners, and if so, are they paying for the grazing land?
"What are the social
responsibility services that will be provided to the communities from which the
land was acquired?"
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