Speaking at the inauguration of the Isaiah Odoli/Omerelu Streets in New GRA Phase 1 in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area on Wednesday, Wike said the Anti-Open Grazing Bill will be sent to the state House of Assembly.
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says the ban on open grazing in the state will be given legal backing to protect Rivers people from marauding herdsmen.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Isaiah Odoli/Omerelu Streets in New GRA Phase 1 in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area on Wednesday, Wike said the Anti-Open Grazing Bill will be sent to the state House of Assembly.
According to Wike, the bill is also in keeping with the resolution made by the Southern Governors' Forum.
"You can't go to the farm anymore, those who rear cattle, they'll not allow your crops to grow. Let me say clearly, now that the House of Assembly has come back, we have to submit the bill on Anti-Open Grazing as we agreed in the Southern Governors' Forum.
"So, that everybody must understand it. It's clear, without any hesitation, we must do it to protect our farms, to protect our women, to protect our youths, so that nobody will go and kill them."
Wike also said Nigerians who had considered the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a better alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, must be regretting the deplorable condition of the country under the ruling APC.
"The exchange rate has now got to N510 to a dollar. When they took over, it was N150 to a dollar. They said they'll give employment. Do we have employment today? Are your children employed?”
According to Wike, Nigeria is now on life support and requires prayers from well-meaning Nigerians to save it.
"Since APC came into power, you can now see what Nigeria has turned to. Each day you wake up, you hear people are being killed. If you watch television and read the news on newspapers, you will hear so and so number are killed or kidnapped in so and so state.
"That is not what I thought all of us needed. The country is on oxygen (life support). Nobody knows what will happen next. As we are today, Nigeria is in dire need of help. Nigeria needs prayers; to our mothers and sisters, you must kneel down and pray to God to salvage this country."