Herdsmen: Enact law now, lawmaker tells state govts
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
The Senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial district, Ayo Akinyelure, has called on all the state governments to be proactive and enact laws that would end the issues of herdsmen in the country.
Akinyelure, who is also Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, made the call on Sunday while speaking with journalists in Akure, the state capital on his achievement since his inception in the National Assembly.
According to him, the issues of herdsmen and farmers have polarised the country saying the state government has a fundamental role to play to ensure that in the respective states, all farmers are protected.
He said, “National Assembly has done the needful, it’s left to the state executive arm of government to do what is right to ensure that all these issues of herdsmen are put behind us.
“Every state government of Nigeria is a federate unit, National Assembly doesn’t have power to direct them on what to do, they have their own independent state of Assembly.
“But any law that will give good governance to Nigerians, when it comes the National Assembly will pass it. The one that will not do good to Nigerians, the Assembly will step it down.
“All issues of herdsmen, the state governments have a fundamental role to play to ensure that in their territory all agriculturists, farmers are protected.
“There is no law National Assembly can make, the state government can also make their own law to govern and ensure the issue of herdsmen settled because it has been polarized.”
Akinyelure who also spoke on his achievements since his inception in the National Assembly disclosed that he had facilitated and distributed over 200 employment letters to graduates from the six local government areas withing the Senatorial district.
According to him, in the last 18 months at the Upper chamber, he has worked on over 50 petitions and laid reports to that the effect to the Senate.
He noted that since June 2019 when he returned to the Senate, he has empowered over 400 unemployed constituents through enterprise development, while palliative and empowerment materials worth millions of naira have been distributed to artisans and less privileged in Akure South, Ifedore, Ondo East, Akure North, Idanre and Ondo West local government areas.
Akinyelure said he has purchased a grader to grade rural roads in the district free of charge, noting that over 100km of roads linking farms and rural communities have been graded by under his constituency’s project.
The Federal Legislator said he has sponsored seven bills and several motions in the last 18months to give quality representation.
Recall that Akinyelure was first elected between 2011 and 2015, before he was re-elected in 2019 when he defeated two bigwigs Senator Tayo Alasoadura of the APC and former Governor Olusegun Mimiko of the ZLP.
He, however, called on eligible voters across the states to shun voting out their well-performed National Assembly members unnecessarily to enable them properly play the national politics as ranking members of the National Assembly.
