Governor Ifeanyi Okowa Signs Anti-open Grazing Bill Into Law
- Delta state has joined the numerous southern states in the country banning open grazing in their domain
- The Southern Governors Forum had resolved to kick out herdsmen roaming about in their states with a law
- Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has now signed the law in the south-south state to beat the September deadline of the forum
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Asaba - Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on Thursday, September 30 signed the Delta State Livestock, Breeding, Rearing, and Marketing Regulation Bill, 2021, otherwise known as Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law.
The governor also used the opportunity to call on the federal government to assist interested farmers to establish ranches across the country.
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Legit.ng gathered that the governor also signed the Delta State Urban and Regional Planning Bill 2020 into law.
They were presented to Okowa by the Speaker of the Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, in company with principal officers of the Assembly.
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The governor said that the two laws were very important to the state, adding that the Delta State Livestock Breeding, Rearing, and Marketing Regulations law had taken a new life of its own in the country.
He recalled that the Southern Governors Forum met and took certain decisions which they believed were in the best interest of the nation.
His words:
“We believe that it is in the best interest of security; we also believe that it is in the best interest of ensuring food security and that it will help us to ensure that we are able to cause people from across this nation who will find themselves outside their own states inhabiting in Delta state to live with Deltans in a peaceful and respectable manner with each other.
“We believe as the southern governors had stated that we must start to look into other ways of ensuring that we are able to breed and that we are able to rear our cattle and other livestock in such a manner that is acceptable in modern times.
“We believe that this is something that is workable; many times it is difficult for people to embrace change, but I believe that the world all over is changing by the day and if you find that change is going to bring peace, if you find that change is going to bring development and even economic enhancement, it should truly be embraced.
“I think that it is time for our nation to depart from the old ways and to look into the future, ensuring that we do things in the best way for development.
“We must encourage best actions to be taken towards ensuring that there is peaceful coexistence within the various ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and the various states and also ensuring that we are able to do our businesses in such a manner that is respectable and I think that is what this law stands for.”
On the Urban and Regional Planning law, Okowa said that it will enable the state to have a planned development with proper regulations and a formal establishment of the ministry of urban planning backed by law.
His words:
“I believe that the very challenging areas we had in the former law have been corrected now and so it will be possible to continue to develop our urban centres within the context of the law without having any challenges in the way.
“This new law formally recognises the establishment of the Ministry of Urban Planning and I believe that is very important because we need to have liveable cities and if we are to have liveable cities there must be laws regulating and control of development of urban cities and that has been given life to by this law.”
He thanked the parliament for working always in the interest of the state and for taking its work very seriously.
Delta government outlines benefits of open grazing ban
Recall that Delta state commissioner for information, Charles Aniagwu had on Thursday, September 2 said the law to ban open grazing in Delta state would promote healthy and harmonious living among farmers and herders.
Speaking on national TV, the commissioner said that the law was not targeted at any section of the society but to provide a healthy living among stakeholders in the farming and cattle rearing business.
He said that the constant clashes between farmers and herders in the country necessitated the call for legislation to ban open grazing, especially in southern Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
