Senate: Bill To Ban Open Grazing Leaves Second Reading Stage After Tense Floor Debate

The bill seeking to ban open grazing in the country left the second reading stage in the senate on Wednesday after a tense floor debate.

If  the bill is eventually passed into law and the president gives his assent to it, open grazing  will be prohibited nationwide.

Team@orientactualmags.com  learned that the bill  which is designed  to address the longstanding conflicts between herders and farmers in the country, was sponsored by Senator Titus Zam, who represents  Benue North West.

The bill outlines specific regulations for the establishment and management of ranches, promotion of best practices and mitigation of disputes between herders and farmers in the country.

‘The proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission is for the management, preservation, and control of ranches throughout Nigeria’  Senator Zam submitted.

There was however opposition against the bill from Senator Danjuma Goje and, Senator  Adamu Aliero .

They argued that cattle rearing and ranching activities are more noticeable in the North than in other parts of the country while adding that lawmaking should be for the whole nation  and not for a section of the country.

Goje specifically maintained that cattle routes begin from the far north and end in Lokoja adding that ‘the routes do not extend to the South’.

Senator Hussein Babangida Uba, who represents Jigawa North-West, also called for extra caution in passing the bill cognizant of the controversies it had attracted in the past.

 Senators who supported the bill however submitted  that the proposed Commission would manage the farmers/herders crisis in the country and the bill should therefore be allowed to move to the next stage.

The bill eventually left the second reading stage  after it was put to voice vote by the Senate President,  Senator Godswill Akpabio.

It was later  referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Judiciary and Legal Matters  which are expected to make their reports available within  four weeks-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you