Miyetti Allah has said that the ban on open grazing by the
Governors of Southern Nigeria will remain ineffective until an alternative to
grazing is provided for the herders.
South East Chairman of Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders
Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Gidado Siddiki, said this in response to the
call by former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr.
Okwesilieze Nwodo, on all the states Houses of Assembly in South East Nigeria
to enact anti-grazing law in their respective states.
Gidado Siddiki mentioned that they were not opposed to ban
on open grazing but that the public hearing on constitution review should grant
all parties the right to make submissions for a law against open grazing.
“We were not given the chance to go for the Constitution review public hearing, we went there but nobody gave us an audience to talk. We did not submit a petition,” he said.
He noted that the South East leaders are yet to provide
ranching as an alternative for herders in conducting their business, hence the
reason such decision will remain ineffective.
Siddiki said: “Our position is that we are not opposed to
the ban on open grazing, but at least we need an alternative.
“You know when somebody is doing business and you stop him
from doing that business, he would be given an alternative on what to do.
“When you say that you have banned open grazing, you need to
tell us how we should graze our cows because what we know is grazing. If there
is an alternative, there is no problem, and that is the only thing we are
begging for.”
He urged the governors to call on all parties in making laws
in respect to open grazing, adding that there is no provision for ranching in
most states which poses a problem to herders.
“If open grazing is bringing problems, let us find ways we
can coexist.
“If there is provision for ranching, we can do ranching but
I do not think there is provision for ranching in states. Even Benue State that
banned open grazing, I don’t think there has been any ranching in Benue State
in all these years.
“So, I don’t know if there is provision and that is our own
problem,” the Miyettl Allah leader said.
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