LIVE UPDATES
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-cultural Association and the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, have strongly disagreed on the bill on ranching, which scaled second reading in the National Assembly.
Recalled that the Senate, had on Thursday, passed for a Second Reading ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation, and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024’ and sponsored by Senator Titus Zam.
Zam argued that the bill when passed, would help resolve the farmer-herder crisis across the country. Some lawmakers also argued that the farmer-herder crisis was responsible for food scarcity across the nation.
Some northern senators, including the Deputy Senate President, argued that the bill would infringe on the rights of certain individuals, making it unconstitutional.
Reacting to the passage of the bill, the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu said that no single senator or group of senators could unilaterally ensure that a bill was passed or not.
He said, “Every bill in the Senate is passed through a vote after it has been thoroughly considered and debated based on its merits and demerits.
“The ‘Bill for an Act to Establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation, and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024’ is no exception to this legislative process.
The Senate spokesperson explained further that the committee could propose amendments to the bill, considering each clause and making necessary modifications.
“During the third reading, the bill will be debated for the last time.
This discussion is usually brief and focuses on the final content of the bill. A vote is then taken on the bill in its entirety. If it passes, it moves to concurrence, and is transmitted for the President’s assent, after which it becomes law.”
“As you can see, no aspect of this process is left in the hands of a few individuals. The passage of law involves the collaborative effort of all 109 senators,” he noted.
Miyetti Allah said its members would resist the bill to abolish open grazing and promote ranching.
The group through Its National Secretary-General, Saleh Alhassan, said the bill, if passed into law, may lead to rebellion from herders.
He said, “Laws are meant to promote love, peace, harmony and development. The law will not work. No one will respect such a law because you can’t come overnight and destroy our economy through a pronouncement.
“How many laws have they enacted, and how many are working in this country? They want to create a crisis. They want to push us, herders, into rebellion, and we are saying they will fail.”
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum has asked the Federal Government to initiate policies and programmes that will successfully transition open grazing into ranching in a way that will safeguard the interests of the herdsmen and address security challenges associated with their activities.
NEF spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the forum wants the Federal Government to identify suitable lands across the country and create grazing reserves and cattle routes for pastoral activities.
He said, “NEF had declared an earlier position on the ongoing debate in the National Assembly over the proposed law to end open grazing in the country and establish ranching agencies, which has brought to light differing views among legislators.
“NEF recognises the importance of addressing the challenges posed by open grazing and the need for a more sustainable and modern approach to livestock management. However, the forum is aware of the concerns raised by some northern senators regarding the potential impact of the proposed law on the livelihoods of pastoralists in the region.”
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, said Afenifere strongly advocates modernising cattle rearing practices across the country.
He said, “Afenifere’s position is that in the modern-day, livestock do not graze in the open, roam on the streets, or go to people’s farms to destroy crops.
“Today, open grazing has become anachronistic and obsolete. Ranching is the vehicle whereby whoever wants to go into cattle rearing, just like a person who wants to rear fowls would build a poultry.
“The same thing should be done for those who want to rear cattle. There must be ranching, which will be maintained in a manner that will not be detrimental or create problems for other people.”
