We Have No Cattle Grazing Routes in our State, We Are Fishermen, Governor says

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, has said there were no cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa, explaining people of the state are predominantly farmers or fishermen.

Governor Diri made the assertion while responding to questions on the President’s recent directive to revive cattle grazing routes across the country.

He spoke on Saturday in Yenagoa, during his maiden media chat as part of activities to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day celebration.

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Governor Diri explained that although he was not countering the federal government’s decision to resuscitate grazing routes, he said his administration had put in place a legal framework to ban open grazing and movement of cattle on foot.

Diri maintained that his government could not afford to expose its citizenry to the looming danger.

His words: “For us, there are no cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa State. Our people are traditionally and occupationally fishermen. The idea of cattle grazing routes in Bayelsa is very strange to us in this part of the country.”

Diri pointed out that in a federal system of government, states have the rights to enact laws to regulate the activities of their people.

“There may be cattle grazing routes in the north but what is applicable in the north may not be applicable to us in the south. I don’t want to believe we are running a unitary system of government.”