Cattle grazing bill ‘ll cause more trouble if passed — Rep Abonta

Hon Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, a lawyer, chairman House Committee on Public Petitions, represents Ukwa East/West of Abia State in the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in this chat spoke extensively on the implications of allowing herdsmen have grazing reserves in Nigeria among other issues.

What is your take on the spate of clashes between farmers herdsmen recently in Nigeria?

One’s wealth should not be used in destroying another person’s wealth. The Fulani are nomads in nature and we are talking about increasing animal husbandry and production. Therefore, we must find a balance on how that should be done.

In the House, there are three bills that have been consolidated and the bills talk about having a grazing route and as well as having increasing reserves where herdsmen can do their business.

But I want to point out clearly that government has got no business doing business. We must also begin to look at issues the way it is done worldwide and have the best practices. *Uzoma Nkem-Abonta

That bill has generated a lot of controversies and may not go down well if it is allowed. The bill said that a grazing route should be mapped out perhaps from Sokoto to Port Harcourt and from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and up north for herdsmen to do their nomadic grazing.

As good as it may sound, that will also increase the problem between the Fulanis and the owners of those routes they will pass by. I think we should do our business in a manner that will not hinder or disturb other people. Cattle rearing is done by private persons and they are all private businesses.

So why would government now think of seizing or acquiring lands for that venture? We are saying that the Land Use Act is not that good any more and has outlived its usefulness and you are now trying to also do more than the Land Use Act by saying that you will acquire land through the federal government forcefully from the farmers and give to the Fulani herdsmen so that they will have a route to do their grazing.

I think that what should be obtainable is have ranches where people must as a matter of fact put their cows and train their cows. Empirical thinking shows that cattle that are kept in ranches produce more meat and milk than the ones that are wandering.

So is it the best practices now to keep wandering with cows? Is it not the best practices to acquire modern techniques and technologies? So must Nigeria not embrace what is modern and what is normal? I think that those bills should be discouraged and not be allowed to see the light of the day.

From developments so far, it is not very feasible to create a route any more. I could recall there existed routes in the 50’s and 60’s.

For example, the route that passed to Abuja, how did you come about it? The route must have passed through Garki. So are we going to maintain that or shift to where? The way the government is being catered now, it is difficult to have a route and these routes will pass through farms and you cannot constrain these herdsmen to remain in a particular route, you are only telling the man to transverse the length and breadth of farms.

Are we saying that farming should be discouraged? So you cannot allow one man’s business to spoil another person’s business. More so if you even thought of starting a grazing reserve in some areas or in all the states that means you will forcefully seize lands from the states maintained by the federal government.

How to end farmers’ and herdsmen’s clashes

The only way to reduce the fight between farmers and herdsmen is to take the cattle out of farm lands. Can traders or merchants take their goods to somebody’s compound because it is the best place to trade? No. You rent your shop, you build your plazas, why can’t they build their ranches? And if there must be grazing reserves, every state at its convenience should create it to be run by states and local governments. It should not be run by the federal government.

If we allow the Federal government, that means we are done and the federal government would be at ease to take your land whenever they want and pay you peanuts.

If we must grow this economy I want to advice President Muhammadu Buhari to look at the modern best practices in doing this and applying them. I am in agreement that the Fulani should be provided a better way, better means, better encouragement to rear their cattle. And if the people down South say no, we don’t want cattle there, don’t take it there. They can always transport themselves to where the cattle is to buy and if you must rear there, they are the ones to give you the place to rear your cattle