Pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the national and state assemblies and all other concerned authorities to ensure that restructuring takes place within remaining part of this year.

Afenifere  made this known after a meeting of its  Executive Council which was presided by Chief Ayo Adebanjo on Sunday.

According to the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jare Ajayi, in a statement he signed Afenifere gave full support to the to the southern governors move to end open grazing latest by September 1.

The group also said that there are signs that Nigeria as country was heading for an apocalypse.

”After reviewing recent developments in the country, Afenifere Executive Council said that the signs are ominous, requiring steps to prevent the country from an apocalypse.” the statement said

The body said: “The Nigerian nation is at the brink of an avoidable catastrophe that requires urgent actions. And the most potent recipe to prevent the catastrophe is restructuring that would return the country to true federalism.

“After reviewing recent developments in the country, Afenifere Executive Council said that the signs are ominous, requiring steps to prevent the country from an apocalypse.

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“The meeting endorsed the recent resolutions of the governors of Southern Nigeria, with regards to placing a total ban on open grazing and having state police.

“Afenifere is in full support of the governors to have laws banning open grazing latest by September 1, this year. We notice that some states already have this law enacted. We urge the remaining states to enact the law expeditiously. Beyond the enactment, however, we call for immediate enforcement of the law to put an end to various vices that the act of open grazing is engendering.”

“Of what intrinsic benefits has open grazing been in the recent past, going by various studies that have been done? It is on record for instance that open grazing is one of the major causes of desertification that is occurring in the northern part of the country. It is also on record that cows reared in a ranch are far more productive, healthier and are less tasking for the rearer compared to the ones being driven from one place to another in search of food and water. And certainly, those in ranches constitute less risk to neighbouring communities compared to the ones migrating from one place to another.”

“The governors are described as chief security officers of their respective states, yet they have no security agency that can be deployed to where crimes are being committed with arms. A security agency that can arrest, investigate and prosecute.

Those of them who came up with some security apparatus like Amotekun are disempowered because they could not bear arms. And when they arrest suspected criminals, such suspects must be handed over to the police. As experiences have shown, once this is done, hardly do such cases go beyond the police.

And the state security body has no control anymore since the Police is a federal agency that does not take orders from the governor. This must change. State police, down to the level of local government, must become operational immediately” the communiqué asserts.

“Finally, the executive council meeting called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the national and state assemblies and all other concerned authorities to ensure that restructuring takes place within remaining part of this year. Its implementation in terms of true federalism in finance, security, social welfare must begin before the middle of next year.”

Chief Ayo Adebanjo,  Oba Oladipo Olaitan (Deputy Leader), Chief Sola Ebiseni (Secretary-General), Chief Supo Sonibare (Treasurer), Abagun Kole Omololu (National Organising Secretary), Comrade Jare Ajayi (Publicity Secretary), Mr. Adebayo Adenekan (Secretary for the Diaspora), Dr. Akin Fapohunda (Director of Research), and Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo. were those at the Afenifere Executive Council,