El-Rufai Backs Cattle Ranching, Says Anti-grazing Law Unrealistic

• The anti-grazing law springing up in southern states has gotten the attention of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai
• The Kaduna state governor says the rush to sign the law by southern states might not solve the issue in the short-term
• The governor stated that resolving the challenges of pastoralism requires a lot of time and resources

FCT, Abuja - Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna state says ranching remains the recipe for the recurring problem of conflict between farmers and herders in the country.

The governor made the comment on Tuesday, September 21 while speaking to reporters at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

His words:

“We must move towards ranching. But moving towards ranching cannot be done overnight. We have to have a plan, we have to have resources and we have to implement it sensibly. It is not a matter of populist legislation or saying tomorrow this or that. It is not a solution.

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“We have taken a position as northern state governors and we are implementing that. And in my state, for instance, we are developing a huge ranch to centralize the herders. And that is the solution, a long-time solution. But can it be done overnight? No!

“This project we are doing will cost us about N10 billion. The CBN is supporting us with about N7.5 billion. And it will take about two years to do. We will be settling Fulani herdsmen and their families.”

Referring to states passing the anti-grazing law, El-Rufai said:

“You can legislate but let us wait and see. And I wish them the best of luck.”

Southern Governors Forum stance on open grazing

The Southern Governors Forum had given itself a target (September 2021) to ensure all southern states pass a bill to ban open grazing in their respective domains.

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The southern governors stated that it is their duty to protect the people of southern Nigeria from invaders posing as herdsmen after the presidency condemned the resolution of the governors.

Since the resolution, many states in the three regions that make up southern Nigeria have complied.

Ogun proposes three-year imprisonment for offenders

In Ogun, the state House of Assembly has passed Animal Grazing Regulation and Cattle Ranch Establishment Bill, 2020.

The law recommended three years of jail terms for offenders without any option of a fine.

The clean copy of the bill has been transmitted to Governor Dapo Abiodun and it is awaiting his assent.

Source: Legit.ng