The Senate on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill which seeks to ban open grazing.
The bill further seeks the establishment of a national agency for the regulation and management of ranches in Nigeria.
The document titled: “A Bill to Establish a National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation and Control of Ranches Throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024″ was sponsored by Senator Titus Zam, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member representing Benue North-West Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
Zam said his debate was premised on the rising wave of violent conflicts that erupt from pastoralists and farmers interaction across the federation.
He said the Legislators won’t fold their arms and watch the nation burn down due to the clashes between some nomads and farmers who have been practicing their profession without fear for years.
“As stakeholders in the Nigeria project and elected representatives of the people, doing so would amount to abdication of our statutory and leadership responsibilities,” he added.
He suggested finding a solution through a legislative therapy banning open grazing in Nigeria.
“This 10th Senate has a date with history. We must rise in one accord to sort out this problem of herders-farmers violent conflicts that would, if allowed to linger longer, consume even more lives and properties than the civil war of 1967-1970.
“Therefore, now is the time to put a permanent stop to the endless circle of attacks and counter attacks by our people and their external collaborators.
“Now is the time to adopt international best practices in animal husbandry. Now is the time to bring about a law to stop open grazing. It is old fashioned, hazardous, burdensome and must be discarded.”
He added that the bill further proposes that ranches would be established in the pastoralists state of origin without forcing it upon other states or communities that do not have pastoralists as citizens.
Senators Eyinnaya Abaribe, Danjuma Goje, Senator Garba Musa Maidoki, Senator Barau Jibrin, Senator Adamu Aliero and Kawu Sumaila supported the Bill.
They however objected to a clause in the lead debate which said pastoralists should establish ranches in their state of origin.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman-Kawu, who said the bill would breach the constitutional rights of the herders.
“The bill is totally against the constitution of Nigeria. The bill will even compound the problem of the herders and the farmers. You can’t propose a law to attend to a particular group or section of the country only. This bill is not holistic and we will fight it till the end,” Kawu stated.
However, the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, while rounding off the debate, urged all senators to be calm by letting the bill go for a public hearing.
“We must hold a public hearing and bring all the stakeholders to have a say, including cattle ‘rearers’ and the state governments”, Akpabio remarked.
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