Senate to debate farmers/herders clash

The Senate on Monday said the incessant clashes between herders and farmers across the country will be thoroughly debated on resumption Tuesday, with a view to finding lasting solution.

The Red Chamber also said the Committee on Foreign Affairs would determine the fate of the former Service Chiefs nominated for Ambassadorial positions by President Muhammadu Buhari.

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Fielding questions from journalists on the two issues, the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (APC, Kebbi), said a motion for the debate on farmers/herders clashes, particularly the recent ones that happened in Ondo and Oyo States, is already prepared by the Deputy Senate Leader , Senator Robert Ajayi Boroffice ( APC Ondo North).

He said the problem was largely local, requiring local solutions which can be given by respective state governments and local government councils .

“The Senate is disturbed that such crises in addition to armed banditry and Boko Haram insurgency, remain unabated and there can’t be development where there is no peace, the very reason state actors at the grassroots need to be more involved in stopping them,” he said.

He added that interventions from all fronts against the crises are urgently required as ‘ethnic enterpreneurs’ are trying to take advantage of the ugly situation.

The lawmaker said: “With some kind of ethnic colouration of the herders/farmers clashes, urgent attentions are required at various levels of government to prevent them from further escalation.

“These are kind of crises that must be addressed promptly and squarely in preventing ethnic entrepreneurs from hijacking the whole situation and putting the country in danger.

“There are existential issues that have set communities that have hitherto lived together peacefully, against each other either for political advantage or political matters.

” I think these are issues that should be resolved at the local level either through dialogue anchored on the spirit of give and take.

“Whatever crises that are involved should be resolved by political leaders at appropriate levels be it, at the National Assembly, at the level of the governors, local government and even councillorship level where state actors are expected to sit down with their people so that a lot of these issues can be articulated and addressed by the local population.

“Infact, this is what the governors at their levels should do and not always running to the presidency, to solve one dispute here and there .

“This is a federation and we are all politically responsible leaders. I can assure you that in no distant time, these inter-communal conflagrations would be resolved.

“So, hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday this week, a general motion that will be sponsored by the deputy Senate leader, Ajayi Boroffice, will be debated on the floor of the Senate.”

Ex Service Chiefs

On the fate of the former Service Chiefs scaling the hurdle of Senate confirmation as ambassadorial nominees, the leader said: “Communications for the confirmation would be read hopefully by the Senate president tomorrow (Tuesday) and whatever happen, we will pass it on to the committee on foreign affairs and then the committee on foreign affairs will now do its deliberation.

“I am cannot under this situation preempt whatever the committee is going to decide because the committee is made up of several responsible and experienced senators who have also been ambassadors themselves, so they will know exactly what are required for people to be appointed as ambassadors to represent the country in whatever country.

“As leader of the Senate this will be brought to the floor of the Senate. The committee will do its work and after that they will bring the report to the Senate. I am sure all the questions will not escape the committee.

“I don’t want to pre-empt them. Let them do what is just and right and let them apply all the criteria for appointment of ambassadors for the country which will be the basis of determining the fate of the nominees.”