No cattle grazing route in Bayelsa, says Diri

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Douye Diri, says there are no cattle grazing routes in the state and the entire Ijawland.

Diri, who said this during a media chat to mark this year’s Democracy Day celebration at the Government House, Yenagoa, on Saturday, described cattle grazing routes as a strange practice in Bayelsa and Ijawland in general.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), had on June 10 directed the Attorney-General of the Federation to commence the process of reviving cattle grazing routes and grazing areas in the country.

But the governor stated that while there could be cattle grazing routes in the northern part of the country, such practice was never part of the culture of a coastal state like Bayelsa whose people are traditionally fishermen and hunters.

He said, “I personally do not know any cattle grazing route in Bayelsa State. I am not countering Mr President. Maybe they have cattle grazing routes in the North, but here in Bayelsa we do not have cattle grazing routes.

“We are used to hunting, our people are hunters before now and fishermen. We eat more fish than even meat. We are traditionally, occupationally, culturally a fishing people. But we also have some few hunters who will hunt and complement fish.”