Senators from northern Nigeria and their counterparts from other geopolitical zones of the nation reportedly disagreed on a bill pertaining to cattle ranching on Wednesday, according to Vanguard.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Senator Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue North-West) was a sponsor of the controversial bill known as 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 (SB. 466).
When it came up for debate on the floor of the Senate, it generated quite a lot of fireworks. However, it was eventually passed for a second reading, albeit it was referred to the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Judiciary and Legal Matters to revert in four weeks.
Among other objectives, the bill seeks to control and regulate cattle ranching business across the country.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Senator Zam stated that the proposed Commission is to manage, regulate, and preserve ranches across the country.
He said: “The proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission is for the management, preservation, and control of ranches throughout Nigeria.”
However, his proposal met with very stiff opposition from Senator Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) and Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central), both former governors of their respective states.
While pointing out that cattle rearing and ranching activities were more in the North than in other parts of the country, both men contended that lawmaking should be for the entire country and not for a section of the country.
According to Senator Goje, cattle routes begin from the far North and end in Lokoja as “the route does not extend to the South”.
On his part, Senator Hussein Babangida Uba (Jigawa North-West), called for extra caution in passing the bill, citing the trail of controversies around the subject matter in the past as his reason for advocating caution.
Nevertheless, the senators who supported the bill, argued that the proposed Commission would manage the farmers/herders crisis.
Thereafter, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the called for a voice vote and the bill was passed after many voted for it more than those against it.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>