Taraba State House
of Assembly has passed the state Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches
Establishment Bill 2017 into law.
The passage of the
bill was consequent upon the report of the ad-hoc committee which conducted
public hearing across the three senatorial districts of the state which was
submitted to the assembly and adopted by the ‘Committee of the Whole’ on
Tuesday, July 18, 2017.
Though there were
agitations against the bill in some quarters particularly the Miyetti Allah
Cattle Breeders Association, the bill was however supported by a cross section
of the state who presented 91 oral and written memoranda to the committee
across the three senatorial districts.
Speaking on the
bill, the Speaker of the assembly, Abel Peter Diah, commended the members of
the ad-hoc committee for doing a very thorough job within the time frame given
to it, saying posterity would be very kind to them.
He said the law would become operative immediately it is assented to by the state Governor, Darius Ishaku, who forwarded the executive bill to the assembly.
He said the law would become operative immediately it is assented to by the state Governor, Darius Ishaku, who forwarded the executive bill to the assembly.
Diah beckoned on
the people of the state to put aside religious and ethnic differences as he
maintained that government, through the instrumentality of the law, would
protect all citizens of the state irrespective of trade, tribe and religious
affiliation.
The members of the
assembly were unanimous that the law would go a long way to prevent destruction
of crops, farm and community ponds, as well as loss of lives and properties
occasioned by frequent violent clashes between farmers and herders.
Besides regulating
livestock production and managing the impact of open livestock farming on the
environment, the law also seek to promote job creation and investment
opportunities in livestock production and enhance greater productivity in the
livestock business.
Part of the
features of the law is the power vested in the governor to establish the state
Livestock and Ranch Administration Control Committee which is to be made up of
no fewer than 13 members.
The committee is
saddled with the responsibility of keeping a register of all ranches and ranch
owners in the state as well as come up with modalities and conditions for the
operations of livestock farming in the state.
Reacting to the
passage of the bill, the state Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association in the state, Sahabi Mahmud, said the law would not see the light
of the day as the association has concluded plans to drag the assembly and the
state government to court to seek redress.
He, however,
appealed to his people to remain calm just as he assured them that the
association would do everything within the ambits of the law to ensure the
rights of Fulanis are not trampled upon in the state.
Source: - Wole Ayodele | This Day | July, 2017
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