The Speaker of the Taraba House of Assembly, Abel Diah, has said that an executive bill seeking to prohibit open grazing, would be beneficial to both herdsmen and farmers in the state.
Mr. Diah made the statement on Thursday in Jalingo at a press conference to mark the end of the second legislative year of the 8th Assembly.
While debunking claims that the bill was aimed at witch-hunting some people, the speaker said that it was meant to improve the lives of livestock and herders.
“This is a revolution government is bringing to better the life of grazers, create jobs and harmonious co-existence between farmers and herders,” he said. “It is high time we stopped killings associated with open grazing.”
“When passed and signed into law, the bill will check the activities of criminals hiding under the guise of grazing to perpetrate all forms of crime.”
Taraba is the third state after Ekiti and Benue to propose an anti-open grazing bill. The other two states passed the bill into law as part of measures to check recurring crises between herders and farmers.
The Taraba speaker explained that the bill would not stop grazers outside the state from coming into the state.
“Those (grazers) coming outside the state will be given temporary permit for the purpose of identifying livestock owners,” he said.
Mr. Diah said the law would also enable the government have information about grazers at its finger tips and know how to plan for their welfare.
“I have cows on the Mambilla Plateau in a ranch and my cows are doing better than those roaming about, because they are not passing through stress,” he said.
The speaker said the Assembly passed 19 bills and 11 resolutions in the last two years which had since been signed into law by Gov. Darius Ishaku.
He said the performance of the eighth Assembly was the best since 2003 when he first came to the house.
The speaker commended the Federal Government on its stand against corruption and called on Nigerians to support the government for the good of the society.
(NAN)