Heated debate as bill to ban open grazing scales second reading in senate

A bill seeking to establish ranches and prohibit open grazing across the country has passed the second reading at the senate after a heated debate.

The upper legislative chamber passed the bill for a second reading on Wednesday after Titus Zam, the senator representing Benue North-west, led a debate on it.

Nigeria has been experiencing decades-long clashes between farmers and herders.

While leading a debate on the legislation titled ‘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’, Zam said an outright ban on open grazing would stop clashes between herders and farmers.

The Benue senator said ranches should be established in states that have pastoralist communities.

However, Zam’s argument was met with opposition from some northern senators.

Danjuma Goje, senator representing Gombe central, said ranches should not be established in only states that have herders.

Goje argued that laws should not be made for a particular set of people.

“We should be magnanimous enough not to confine them. That will not solve the problem,” he said.

“These people are Nigerians and don’t benefit from anything, they don’t benefit from school, hospitals, or anything.”

Kicking against the bill, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano central, said some factors cause the clashes between farmers and herders that have not been addressed.

“Let us come up with something more comprehensive that protects the interest of all parties,” Sumaila said.

“There are so many reasons why herders go against farmers that we should look at. It is against the constitution, and we will fight it to the end.”

Supporting the bill, Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia south, said farmers in the country are under threat.

“This is the reason Nigeria is facing food insecurity,” Abaribe said.

Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, said the bill should be stepped down for further consultation, but Zam refused to move a motion to that effect.

Thereafter, the bill was put to a vote, and the “ayes” were in the majority.

It was referred to the committees on agriculture, trade and investment, the judiciary, and legal matters.

These committees are expected to report back to the plenary within a month.