Anti-open Grazing Law: Miyetti Allah Mocks Southern Govs

■ We knew they won’t speak with one voice on Sept 1
deadline
■ We didn’t fail, anti grazing law on course
Why herdsmen deserve ruga in every state – Bodejo, Miyetti
Allah leader
By Vincent Kalu, Lukman Olabiyi, Lagos; Geoffrey
Anyanwu, Enugu; George Onyejiuwa, Stanley Uzoaru,
Owerri; Judex Okoro, Calabar; Paul Osuyi, Asaba; Lateef
Dada, Osogbo; Tony Osauzo, Benin, Obinna Odogwu, Awka
and Joe Effiong, Uyo
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has mocked the17 Southern
Governors for their failure to meet the September 1
deadline they set for themselves to enact and begin to
implement the anti-open grazing laws throughout Southern
Nigeria. Speaking to Saturday Sun on the issue, the
National President the group, Abdullahi Bodejo said that
his members knew that the Southern governors would not
come together to speak with one voice on the matter
when it comes to implemenatiaton. Bodejo who accused
them of coming together for ulterior motive, 2023 politics
and an agenda to take over Fulani cattle-rearing business,
threatened to drag the states that have enacted such laws
to court.
But insisting that their collective will to do so is still on
course, aides and spokesmen of some of the 17 Southern
governors that took the collective decision at their Asaba
meeting to enact a law banning open grazing of cattle
across the states that fall under the zone, have opened up
on why the states couldn’t meet the September 1, 2021
deadline set for the implementation.
Of the 17, only six, namely, Abia, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ebonyi,
Imo, and Enugu have in place an anti-open grazing law. In
fact, Enugu just passed its own on September 2, less than
24 hours after the expiration of the deadline. Though no
official statement was issued as to why the state missed
the deadline, a privileged source from the State Assembly
attributed the delay to the magnitude of harm open
grazing had caused the state. The House, he said, was
careful to make extensive consultations with all
stakeholders to ensure that the bill meet the required goal
for the good of all. The source noted that what was
important “is that the bill has been passed and I know
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will not waste time in signing it
into law.”
Five states, namely Rivers, Delta, Osun, Ondo, Bayelsa and
Akwa Ibom are in the process of complying. But some of
the states like Anambra, Lagos, Imo, Edo, and Cross River
who were reported earlier as ignoring the agreement has
come out to deny the report.
In Imo, the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-
General, Mr Cyprain Akaolise insisted that there was no
need to come up with another anti-open grazing law as
the state already has one banning open grazing of cattle
in restricted areas of the state, including the state capital.
This, he explained, is much better than the kind being
proposed by the southern governors.
According to him, Imo State Law No. 9 of 2006 signed by
Chief Achike Udenwa, former Governor of Imo State on
19th January 2007 did not call for total ban but prohibition
of cattle grazing in restricted areas of the state. “A cattle
herder cannot take his cattle into cultivated land within
Imo State,” he said. “So but the herdsmen could do their
grazing in the forest. The other states should copy our
own law.”
Like Imo, Cross Rivers State too claims to have passed its
own law in 2017, four years before the Southern Governors
Forum came up with the resolution at the Asaba meeting.
Speaking on the matter, the former Speaker of Cross River
House of Assembly, Rt Hon William Jonah Eteng,
disclosed that the state was one of the earliest to pass
law against open grazing.
Gaul, Speaker between 2015 and 2019, however noted that
the law was not, and has not been assented to by
Governor Ben Ayade. According to him, the lawmakers
went for the traditional ranching because they don’t have
empty land neither does their culture permit movement of
cattle from one place to another because the people
engage in arable cropping of vassals, yams, cocoyam and
maize.
He said: “We don’t support open grazing in our state. But
if it is the culture in the North to move cattle around, no
problem. The President under our present constitution
does not have land to give anybody because with the 1975
Land Use Act, the lands are under the management of
state governors.
In Akwa Ibom, the Executive is yet to send the bill to the
State House of Assembly.
Chief Whip of Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Lekan
Olatunji, also claimed that the legislators have passed the
bill but added that the Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is
yet to sign it. “We recently passed a bill to regulate animal
grazing and establishment of cattle ranches in the state,”
he said. “It’s just awaiting the Governor’s consent and I’m
sure that will be done very soon.”
However, it was gathered that the bill was not forwarded
to the office of the governor till he travelled out recently.
But speaking on the matter, the Chief Press Secretary to
Governor, Ismail Omipidan assured that the governor
would surely sign the bill if it is on his table. He added that
the governor just returned to the state on Wednesday,
September 1.
In Lagos, the State Commissioner for Information and
Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, assured that very soon,
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will sign into law the Anti-
open grazing Bill which he said, was already before the
state House of Assembly for consideration.
Noting that the executive arm of government had
deliberated on the bill and deemed it worthy before
passing it to the State House of Assembly to do the
needful, he added that the moment the House of
Assembly passed the bill, the governor would append his
signature to make it law in the state.
But investigation by Saturday Sun shows that the bill is
being worked on in both Edo and Delta States. The
Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Marcus
Onobun, who spoke on the matter, attributed the delay to
the recess embarked upon by the members while assuring
that the bill will soon be passed as it is being worked on.
On their own part, the Delta State Commissioner for
Information, Charles Aniagwu, assured that the Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration would ensure that the bill
is implemented as a step towards promoting healthy and
harmonious living among farmers and herders.
“No state can even start implementation immediately
because after passing the bill and assenting to it, you
need to give people time to adjust. You need to give the
herders time to either return their cattle or build ranches,”
he said. “For now in Delta, we are still going to be seeing
cattle on the streets because the law has not been
enacted and we have not started implementation.”
He attributed the delay in passing the law to the
dissolution of the State Executive Council shortly after the
decision to ban open grazing was taken by the southern
governors. But then he insisted that the September 1, 2021
deadline was not for the implementation of the ban but for
the passage of the bill and enactment of the law.
Of the lot, Anambra may end up as one of the states that
will not implement the decision, as there is no indication
to that effect. The State Commissioner for Information
and Public Enlightenment in the state, C. Don Adinuba,
when contacted, simply told Saturday Sun that he did not
participate in the Asaba meeting; and that his principal,
Governor Willie Obiano, has not briefed him on his position
on the matter.
A member of the state House of Assembly representing
Nnewi North Constituency, Nonso Okafor, who claimed to
have been planning to move a motion in that regard,
however, noted that the plan did not materialise before
they went on their annual recess.