Fayose, Ekiti Assembly move to establish anti-grazing law

In a bid to make good his threat, the Ekiti State government, through the House of Assembly on Wednesday, conducted a public hearing on a bill seeking restrictions on cattle rearing in the state.

It would be recalled that the state Governor, Ayodele Fayose, had in the wake of an attack on the Oke Ako community in Ikole Local Government Area of the state by Fulani herdsmen, placed restrictions on movement of cattle in the state.

The attack led to the death of two persons while three others were injured.

The public hearing on the bill tagged, ‘Prohibition of Cattle Grazing Bill, 2016’ attracted security agencies, traditional rulers, officials of the Ministries of Justice and Environment, Fulani herdsmen and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the hearing, the Deputy Speaker, Segun Adewumi, who presided over the hearing, explained that the bill will protect the lives and property of Ekiti people when passed into law. He also added that the public hearing was organised to receive inputs from stakeholders on the matter.

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“This forum is for us to aggregate the opinions of stakeholders to address sensitive areas of the bill. The major assignment before this gathering is to critically examine the bill from all sides and angles for possible amendments.

“Our hope is that the public hearing will help the quality of the bill and enhance its quick passage into law.”
Speaking at the hearing, the Legal Adviser, Jamu Nate Fulbe Association of Nigeria, Mr Umar Imam, argued that though the body was not opposed to the passage of the bill, he appealed to the lawmakers to reconsider its stand on the banning of night grazing.

He also said section 2(1) and 2 which provided that designated ranches will be provided by the government to restrict the cattle to a portion, will lead to the death of the cattle of his clients.

By Timothy Enietan-Matthews

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