On Wednesday, the bill to ban open grazing and establish ranches to solve the frequent violent clashes between farmers and nomadic herders in Nigeria passed through a second reading at the 10th Senate in a heated debate among the legislators.
The bill, as proposed, resulted from a motion moved by Senator Titus Zam, a representative of Benue North-West.
In his lead debate, he argued that the ongoing crises between farmers and herders could be effectively addressed through legislative input, specifically a ban on open grazing in Nigeria.
Senator Zam noted the need for international animal husbandry practices instead of open grazing practices, often involving clashes.
However, the bill further proposed that ranches be established in the pastoralists’ state of origin without forcing them on other states or communities that do not have pastoralists as citizens and that interested parties in the livestock business must seek and obtain approvals from their host communities to establish ranches for peaceful coexistence.
However, despite the tone of consideration the bill highlighted, opposing lawmakers, including the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, clamoured that it be withdrawn.
Eventually, the majority of lawmakers supported the motion when it was ultimately put to a vote.
The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Trade and Investment and Legal Services to report back in one month.
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