Following a contentious discussion on Wednesday, the Nigerian Senate passed a measure creating the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission.
The purpose of the measure, which Senator Titus Tartenger Zam of Benue North West supported, was to govern and supervise the nation’s cattle ranching and raising industry.
While elucidating the overall framework of the law, Zam emphasized the necessity for the proposed Commission to oversee, control, and protect ranches throughout the nation.
He said: “The proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission is for management, preservation, and control of ranches throughout Nigeria.”
On the other hand, Senators Danjuma Goje of Gombe and Adamu Aliero of Kebbi fiercely opposed the bill.
Lawmakers and past governors contended that the North had a higher concentration of ranching and cattle rearing than other regions of the nation, and that legislation ought to apply to the entire nation rather than just a particular area.
Goje specifically maintained that cattle routes begin from the far north and end in Lokoja as “the route does not extend to the South”.
Senator Hussein Babangida Uba of Jigawa North-West made a contribution to the discussion. He urged particular caution in passing the bill because of its history of controversy.
Other senators who backed the bill argued that it should be passed because the proposed Commission would handle the farmers’ and herders’ crisis.
Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, submitted the bill to a voice vote, and it passed.
It was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Judiciary and Legal Matters to be reverted in four weeks.
