ENUGU — The Enugu State Government is set to join a league of states in the Southern region of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to enact a law banning open grazing in the state.
The Bill for law prohibiting open grazing and regulation of cattle rearing was sponsored by Ikechukwu Ezeugwu Leader of the House;
The bill on Thursday scaled through second reading on the floor of Enugu State House of Assembly and was referred to the joint House committees on Agriculture, Judiciary, and Security to conduct a public hearing on the open grazing bill.
Leading the debate on the bill, the Leader of the House posited that Government cannot feign ignorance of clashes between farmers and herders, which has resulted in the destruction of lives and properties in the state.
Ezeugwu stressed that the bill when passed into Law will ban anybody from rearing cattle roaming about the state on foot; it will be an offence for an underage child to rear cattle during school hours.
“Anybody interested in rearing cattle should get a land and set up a cattle ranching; the era of open grazing is over in Enugu state,” Ezeugwu reiterates.
The member representing Nkanu West Constituency, Iloabuchi Aniagu, described the bill as one of the most important bills introduced in the seventh assembly as it will boost the morale of farmers whose lives have been endangered by the incessant clashes with herders.
“The introduction of ranching will encourage our farmers to resume their farming activities without fear of herders invading their farmlands and also help the government to get necessary revenues”.
Commending the contributions of his colleagues, Speaker Edward Ubosi revealed that his constituents are anxiously waiting for the passage of this bill which will give farmers the confidence to return back to their farms.
“The public hearing will enable residents of the state to air their opinions concerning the anti-open grazing bill,” Ubosi stated.
Recall that anti-open grazing is one of the many resolutions arrived at the Southern Governors meeting held at Asaba, Delta State in May 2021; the Chief Security Officers of the states unanimously resolved to ban open grazing which has been the source of the constant clash between Fulani herders and farmers who not only suffer untold economic losses but their lives and properties.
In attendance were 15 Southern governors and two representatives of their respective governors; they resolved, “That open grazing of cattle be banned across Southern Nigeria; noting that development and population growth have put pressure on available land resources, and increased the prospects of conflict between migrating herders and local populations, especially farmers, in the South”.
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