The Senate, on Wednesday, passed for a second reading a bill seeking the establishment of the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission following a long debate during plenary.
The proposed law, sponsored by Senator Titus Tartenger Zam (APC, Benue North West), is aimed at addressing the frequent clashes between farmers and herders in some parts of the country.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Zam urged his colleagues to pass the bill, saying, “The proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission is for the management, preservation, and control of ranches throughout Nigeria.”
However, the bill encountered stiff opposition from Senators Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) and Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central).
The two lawmakers, both former governors, argued that cattle rearing and ranching activities were more in the North than in other parts of the country, noting that the task of the federal parliament was to make laws for the entire nation, not a section of it.
Goje submitted that cattle routes begin from the far north and end in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, adding that “The route does not extend to the South.”
In his contribution, Senator Hussein Babangida Uba (Jigawa North-West), called for caution in passing the bill, given its trail of controversies in the past.
The majority of the lawmakers, however, supported the bill, maintaining that when passed, the bill would provide for the establishment of a commission that would address the issues arising from the conflicts between the herders and farmers.
The bill was passed after it was put to voice vote by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Consequently, the bill was referred to the Committees on Agriculture, Judiciary and Legal Matters with a mandate to work on it and revert to the committee of the Whole.
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