By Faith Igbudu
A lecturer at the Taraba State University, Prof. John Tyavbee Ajai, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to conduct a comprehensive review and consider potential renegotiation or withdrawal from ECOWAS Transhumance Protocol.
According to Prof. Ajai, the protocol has become a conduit for violence, criminal activities, and economic loss, undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty, security, and national cohesion.
The Professor who made the call through a memorandum addressed to the President said the protocol, originally designed to facilitate pastoral mobility, has inadvertently led to violent land occupations and attacks on farming communities in states like Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa.
Prof. Ajai warned that the continued allowance of armed herders to move freely under the guise of the ECOWAS protocol is undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty, security, and national cohesion.
The Don also advocated for the rapid passage and enactment of a national law to outlaw open grazing and promote ranching, highlighting the Anti-Open Grazing Bill recently passed by the Senate.
He emphasized that decisive action is necessary to secure Nigeria’s future as the giant of Africa, prioritizing national security and unity over external agreements.
The memorandum noted that tens of thousands of lives have been lost and billions in economic costs wasted over recent years due to the insecurity caused by the protocol.
He appealed to President Tinubu’s leadership to prioritize Nigeria’s security and unity, stressing that decisive action today will secure the country’s future.
