Ambode, Obiano, Ortom meet Buhari in Aso Rock

• I am wiser now, says Lagos State governor
• Anambra counterpart seeks appointment for S’East
• ‘Benue anti-open grazing law working’

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has said that he is leaving the seat of power after four years at the helm of affairs as a wise man.

Ambode, who spoke with State House Correspondents after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday at the Presidential Villa, described himself as a techno-politician who has garnered enough experience over the years.

He said he was at the Villa to appreciate the President for inaugurating several projects in the state, which he said, touched on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

“You see, every politician learns every day. The fact remains that I came in as a technocrat, so I use to call myself a techno-politician but I think I am wiser now. I am more of a politician than a technocrat.”

In a similar vein, his Anambra State counterpart, Willy Obiano, who met with Buhari behind closed doors, solicited special consideration for South-East in the next appointment of ambassadors and ministers.

Obiano, while speaking with State House Correspondents after the meeting, said he made the request against the backdrop of Buhari’s inauguration for a second term on May 29, 2019.

“I did request for more support in various states and I did promise him that as a governor and as Anambra State, we will give all the support to make sure that he has a successful second term in office.”

Also, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State yesterday at the Villa told the President that the enacted Anti-Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law 2017 in the state has started yielding positive results.

The governor said with the enforcement of the law, the state is currently experiencing relative peace in the area of herdsmen/farmers’ crisis compared to what obtained in the past.

Ortom, who spoke with State House Correspondents, said that 400 people had been arrested for violating the law out of which 50 of them had been convicted.

According to Ortom, about 2,000 cattle have also been seized from their owners for flagrant contravention of the provisions of the law.

“The place is relatively peaceful. The law is being implemented and we have arrested 400 people irrespective of their ethnic background, whether Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, Tiv, Idoma and we have convicted 50 people for contravening various offences and we have seized more than 2,000 cattle. But we have ensured no one molests or kills cattle any cattle,” he said.

The governor said since Nigeria is a federation, there must be synergy between states and the Federal Government to be able to surmount the security challenges and save lives and property.