A year after promising to end open grazing in Abuja, Minister Nyesom Wike's directive remains largely unheeded. Despite his insistence, cows continue to graze freely in the city, prompting criticism and highlighting the political sensitivity surrounding the issue.
August 23, 2024, marked exactly one year since the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike , promised to end open grazing in Abuja . We will consult with the herdsmen to see how we will stop because we cannot allow cows inside the city,” Mr Wike had said in August 2023. In March 2024, during a meeting with the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria , Daniel Bertrand, Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers State, reiterated this stance.
DAILY POST, over the past 16 months, monitored major spots around the city and satellite towns to assess the implementation of the policy. The findings reveal that cows are still grazing in the city. In August 2024, a large herd of cattle was spotted around the Defence Headquarters, moving majestically in the middle of the road during working hours. Similarly, in September 2024, another herd was spotted very close to the newly constructed residence of the Vice President, opposite the gate of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. There have been similar sightings of cows across the city despite Wike’s threats and promises as minister. “The minister is gradually coming to terms with the ‘politics of cattle’ within the context of Nigeria,” Shefiu Adio, a resident of the city and a taxi driver, told DAILY POST when cows blocked the road near the traffic light close to the Defence Headquarters. Mr Adio explained that the conversation around cows has become highly politicised, adding that such an order by the minister is seen as targeting northerners, who are predominantly involved in cattle rearing. “Wike must understand how delicate the situation is in Nigeria when it comes to cows. 'In Rivers State, that order would have been obeyed without question. However, in Abuja, seen as the capital where everyone is equal, his directive would be seen as an attack against northerners,” Mr Adio said, as many passengers in his vehicle fumed over the audacity of the herder
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