By G9ija
Governors Abdullahi Sule and Samuel Ortom of Nasarawa and Benue states have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari not to withdraw the military operation “Operation Whirl Strokes” in the two states.
The governors made the appeal, yesterday, at a joint security meeting of the two states in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
Ortom and Sule also disclosed that they have written formally to the authorities concerned to stay put on the withdrawal till the situations on the border line of the two states improves.
Leading discussion on the matter, Governor Sule suggested to the federal government to give the two states another two years to work on a complete master plan for the return of peace among citizens of the states living on the border line.
Sule, argued that the withdrawal of the Operation Whirl Strokes at the moment as planned by the government would not augur well to the affected communities as security in such areas was still fragile.
However, he applauded his Benue State counterpart, Ortom, for embracing the federal government’s National Livestock Transformation Programme (NLTP) which according to him, “its implementation would go a long way to mitigating the skirmishes between herders and farmers in the two states.”
Also speaking, Ortom insisted that the Benue State anti-open grazing prohibitation and ranching law had come to stay in the state,. However, he called on governments at all levels in the country to support herdmen with incentives as been done to farmers.
Ortom appreciated his host, Governor Sule, for initiating the peace process for the two states and pledged to be committed to anything that will add peace to them.
The Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Nasarawa State Traditional Council, Justice Sidi Bage (retd), on his part appealed to the Benue State governor to review the state’s anti-open grazing prohibition and ranching law.
The monarch, however, commended the governor and people of the state for coming up with the anti-open grazing prohibition and ranching law to protect their lives and property.
Meanwhile, Ortom has directed the State Examination Board to immediately revert to the old registration fee of N4,500 for mock Senior School Certificate Examination in the state.
This was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Terver Akase, on Sunday in Makurdi.
Before the development, secondary school final year students have been instructed by the state examination board to pay the sum of N6,500 instead of the N4,500 previously paid.
He also directed the Ministry of Education to ensure that school principals strictly comply with the directive.
“No candidate for the mock examination in the state should be asked to pay the new fee of N6,500”, Ortom warned.