National grazing bill has expired, says senate

The senate has refuted claims that there is a national grazing bill pending before it, saying the document presented to the preceding upper chamber had expired since June 2015.

Babajide Omoworare, chairman, senate committee on rules and business, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said such bill had not been presented to the 8th Senate, but recalled that a bill relating to the issue was presented to the 7th senate.

“Several distinguished senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have been inundated with the request by members of the public concerning a national grazing bill in the senate,” the statement read.

“This is to clarify that no such bill has been presented by the executive arm of government and none has so far been filed by any senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 8th senate.

“For the avoidance of doubt, a ‘national grazing reserve establishment and development commission bill (SB. 60)’ was presented by Senator Zaynab Kure (Niger Central) during the 7th Senate (2011–2015).

“That Bill has now expired by the operations of law on the 6th June, 2015, in furtherance of Section 64(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.”

Earlier at plenary, Eyinaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South), who raised a point of order, said there was no such bill.

He had said many of his constituents had called him over the bill, and urged the senate to come out with clarifications “so that Nigerians can know the true position’’.