Osoba Cautions Garba Shehu Over Comments on Southern Governors Forum
- Chief Olusegun Osoba has warned presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, to be circumspect in his public comments
- The former Ogun state governor made the comment in reaction to Shehu's criticisms of the Southern Governors Forum
- Osoba, an elder statesman, said the presidential media aide must know his limits when engaging political office holders
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Former governor of Ogun state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, on Wednesday, May 26 warned presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, to weigh his words carefully when reacting to national issues.
Osoba, a veteran journalist, made the comment when he appeared on a breakfast programme on Arise TV.
He advised Shehu to watch his words carefully when making comments on national issues.
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Shehu recently faulted the open grazing ban by Southern Governors Forum, saying the ban was of questionable legality.
Osoba, on his part, was one of the APC southwest elders who recently supported the move by the Southern Governors Forum.
He said:
“Garba Shehu was a former president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, a well-grounded professional. I will counsel that he has to come back to this profession and weigh his words and be careful in terms of interventions.
“In the first place, the federal government has no inch of land in Nigeria other than the Federal Capital Territory.
“The constitution vested the Land Use Decree in the governors and the governors are saying we are in control of our area.
“So, if Kano governor and other northern governors have embraced ranching and are willing to donate land for ranching, I do not know why Garba Shehu will be talking contrary to the ban on open grazing.
“If Garba Shehu takes the trouble to study the system in Yoruba land, he will know that we have been co-habiting and we have been keeping each other’s little area. As I said, the situation in Nigeria is going beyond the issue of herders and cattle grazing.
“He should understand and I insist that terrorists are infiltrating this country, and this is clear when herdsmen start carrying AK-47 rifle instead of the usual stick.
“So the likes of Garba Shehu needs to reflect seriously on the critical challenges of the people of Nigeria. Those who discuss national issues must be careful not to trigger a more dangerous development that the country cannot handle.”
In a related development, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria chided Shehu for his comments criticising the Southern Governors Forum.
Vanguard newspaper reports that the group said it is unprecedented in the political annals of Nigeria that a political office holder uses the platform of the presidency to exhibit bigotry.
Meanwhile, the convener of a pressure group, Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazak Hamzat has stated that open grazing should be banned all over Nigeria.
The Abuja-based activist made the statement in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng while reacting to the ban on open grazing across southern Nigeria by the Southern Governors Forum.
According to him, open grazing is not only archaic, it is unbefitting of any civilized nation in the 21st century.
Similarly, the Southern Governors Forum has responded to the claims by the presidency that its ban on open grazing across southern Nigeria does not have any legal backing in the eyes of the law.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state who also doubles as the chairman of the forum dismissed the stance of the presidency and insisted that southern states will ensure the law comes to full effect soon.
Source: Legit.ng
