Okowa Allays Fear of Deltans on Grazing Bill

As the nation continues to grapple with ways to proffer solution to the menace of Fulani herdsmen, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has allayed the fear of Deltans that there will be grazing reserve in the state.

Speaking at the weekend at the second session of the seventh synod of Ughelli Diocese of the Anglican Communion held at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Ekete, Udu Local Government Area of  the state, Okowa asserted, “we are not supporting any grazing reserve.”

The governor stated that legislators cannot pass a bill that is unacceptable by the people, disclosing that Deltans have made it clear that they were not in support of grazing reserve.

While disclosing that his administration has done a lot to ensure that clashes between herdsmen and Deltans are reduced to the barest minimum, he observed that “possibly, there would have been much more killings if not for our consultations; we are also aware that most of the kidnapping in the state are being done by the Hausa/Fulanis in connivance with some of our people.

“There are special courts for the speedy trial of kidnappers and any one who is caught assisting them is liable to life imprisonment,” he continued, while commending security agencies, especially, the police for controlling crime in the state.

Okowa also urged the church to relentlessly pray for the state and the nation, assuring them that revenue to the state would increase within the next couple of months as Shell was working to fix the Forcados Trunkline which would boost oil export from the state.

The governor stated that increase in revenue generated would lead to the construction of more roads and the provision of infrastructure in different parts of the state.

Earlier in a sermon, Bishop Marcus Ibrahim of the Yola Diocese of the Anglican Communion, commended Okowa for the effective management of resources in the state despite the recession affecting economic activities in the country.

The bishop who spoke on the theme: ‘Watching and praying: The escape route from the dangers of our time,’ decried greed in the church and also, urged Christians to pray harder to check the activities of Boko Haram, kidnappers and armed robbers, reiterating, “the time that we are in, is evil time.”