By Clement Udegbe
A NATIONAL
Grazing Bill which the leadership of Senate has said is not with it continues
to generate heated debate. And for good reason. This bill should be questioned
because of its ethno-religious implications. It is important that we know this
bill, even if in a general way, so as to make useful discourse of it. The bill
known as A Bill for An Act for the Establishment of the National Grazing
Reserve (Establishment And Development) Commission for The Preservation And
Control of National Grazing Reserves and Stock Routes And for Other Matters
Connected Therewith, was sponsored by Senator Zainab Kure.
Hajiya Zainab
Abdulkadir Kure is a Senator, whose political career at the Upper legislative
house started in 2007 elected for the Niger South constituency of Niger State Ahmadu Bello University , Zaria
Born on November 24,
1959, Senator Kure’s dream as a youth was to become a top Customs or
Immigration officer. This was however, not to be, no thanks to her
father-in-law who put an end to that ambition. Today, she is making waves at
the National Assembly in Abuja
Part II, of
the Bill deals with Functions of the Commission which includes, designating,
acquiring, controlling, managing, maintaining, the National Grazing Reserves
and Stocks Routes; Constructing of dams, roads, bridges, fences and
infrastructure considered necessary; Identification, retracing, demarcating,
monumenting, and surveying of primary, secondary, and tertiary stock routes;
Conserving and preserving in its natural state the National Grazing Reserves
and Stock Routes; Ensuring the preservation and protection of any objects of
geological archaeological historical aesthetic or scientific interests in the
National Grazing Reserves and Stocks Routes; the development of facilities and
amenities within the national Grazing Reserves; Fostering in the mind the
general public, particularly the pastoral and transhumance population the
necessity for the establishment and development of the National Grazing
Reserves and Stocks Routes with the object of developing a greater appreciation
of the value of livestock and environmental conservation; And doing all such
things which the commission may calculate and consider incidental to the
foregoing functions.
Part III deals with
appointment of the Reserve Controller and other Staff of the commission some of
which may be seconded from other government offices; their functions, and
structure of the commission. Part IV deals with financial provisions for the
commission including that the commission may, subject to the Land Use Act,
acquire any land for the purpose of discharging its functions. Part V, is the
source of concern, its states in part; “The following lands may subject to this
Act be constituted as National Grazing Reserve and Stock Routes- Any land at
the disposal of the Federal Government; Any land in respect of which it appears
to the commission that Grazing on such land should be practiced, and any land
acquired by the commission through purchase, assignment, gift, or otherwise
howsoever; Any land in respect of which it appears to the commission that
primary, secondary, or tertiary routes be established.
The commission may
take over the ownership, control and management of any existing Grazing Reserve
and stock routes from any state government on agreed terms, with the state
concerned. Before any land is constituted as National Grazing Reserve, due
notice shall be given to the state governor where the land is situate, by the
commission on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the
intention of the commission, the location, size or limits of the land…declaring
its intention for the purposes of government or for the particular use and
benefits, wholly or in part, of any class of persons, or for the benefit of any
community, state, or local government. Emphasis here is mine.
The Commission shall
pay compensation on any land acquired by the commission; Any disputes over
claim for compensation shall be referred to the Land Use Allocation Committee
of the State concerned; Commission has power to enter into any negotiation with
holders of Statutory or Customary Rights of Occupancy for the purpose of
assignment or alienation to the Commission” Part VI deals with the Regulation
of persons or class of persons to use the Grazing Areas, Restrictions of
conduct within the Grazing areas, offences which carry a fine of N50,000= or
imprisonment for five years or both. Part VII called the Miscellaneous
Provisions restricts any legal action or suit against the commission.
A written notice
shall first be given to the commission of the intention to sue it or any member
of the council; “No execution or attachment of process shall be issued against
the commission without the consent of the Attorney General of the Federation”
The Commission is indemnified out of the assets of the commission against any
proceeding whether civil or criminal in which judgment is given….” The idea of
this bill is to take farming land belonging to communities, all over the
country, make it Federal land permanently held for any class of persons it may
fancy or please, and in this case it is for the economic, social, and religious
benefit of the cattle rearers, whom we know as Fulani Herdsmen. In the views of
the proponents of this bill, it may well be their answer to resolving the communal
clash between the Fulani Herds men, and rural farming communities across this
nation, but the bill is laden with potentially explosive provisions.
Mr. Clement Udegbe could be reached at ceeaai@yahoo.com
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