Anti-open Grazing Bill: Ohaneze Ndigbo youths hail Senate’s 2nd reading

 

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Youth Wing of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide has lauded the Senate for ensuring that the Bill seeking to establish ranches at herders’ states scaled the second reading.

Mr Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, the Acting National Youth Leader of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, made the commendation during an interactive session with newsmen in Awka on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the bill was sponsored by Sen. Titus Zam (APC- Benue North-West Senatorial District).

It passed through the second reading on Wednesday.

It is entitled: “A Bill to Establish a National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation and Control of Ranches Throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024”.

Okpalaezeukwu said that the bill would serve as an antidote for the perennial clashes between farmers and nomadic herders.

He described farmer-herder clashes as a recurring crisis that had claimed lives and property and affected the country’s economy.

According to him, the establishment of ranches will control and manage the incessant and unnecessary crisis.

“The basic responsibility of any government is to protect the lives and property of its citizens and open grazing is detrimental to it.

“Rearing of cattle is not an ethnic phenomenon, it has become a matter of national security and not something to be sentimental about.

“There are many countries that produce more cattle and do other dairy businesses than Nigeria but do not encounter such crisis, and that is because they do not engage in open grazing.

“We urge Nigerians to consider ranching as a viable option at this critical time,” Okpalaezeukwu said.

Edited by Florence Onuegbu/Sam Oditah