Date: 2017-04-10

A group, The Concerned Citizen of Kwara State Yoruba (TCCKSY, has called on the State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed send a bill to the House of Assembly against illegal grazing of cattle by the Fulanis in the state. The group made the call on Sunday in a communiqué issued at the end of its quarterly meeting in Ilorin.

The communique signed by the group's Chairman, Mr Michael Ologunde said the bill became necessary in order to cut the wings of the Huasa Fulani/Bororo herdsmen that use their cattle to destroy crops during grazing.

Ologunde advised the state government to curb the activities of the herdsmen before it escalate to chaos that may become uncontrollable as a result of killing of farmers by the herdsmen.

The communique also appealed to the state government to quickly address the suffering and hunger the masses of the state were passing through since the beginning of the year.

"Kwara State Government should pay serious attention to agriculture and other empowerment programs by reaching out to groups and cooperative society of farmers without discrimination.

"The government should make available to farmers tractors, plough, fertilizers, herbicides, riggers, harrowers, insecticides, fungicide and other farm inputs to enhance effective farming" the communique added.

The communique frown at the activities of the officials of the Bureau of Land and Kwara Geographic Information System (KWAGIS).

It therefore appealed to Gov Ahmed to call the officials to order from collecting arbitrary land charges, tenement rates, Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and various types of taxes.

The communique called on the state government to stop collecting school fees and PTA levies from students and pupils of Primary 1 to JSS III

"Government should implement the free feeding in public schools as directed by the Federal Government," the communique added.

It condemned the State Government's decision to postpone the school feeding to August 2017, adding that there should be no postponement of the program.

The communique called on the state government to publish the names of the vulnerable people of the state that have benefitted from the N5, 000 monthly allowance.

The group's chairman commended the African Nations Development Program (ANDP) for the flag off of 5, 000 houses for the less privileged in Kwara.

The group noted that the ANDP housing intervention will go round the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, but advised the NGO to ensure that the beneficiaries of the project are the down trodden people of the state.