The Senate, yesterday, witnessed a rowdy session, following the introduction of a bill to regulate animal husbandry and ranches across the federation.

Sponsored by Titus Tartenger-Zam (Benue North-West), the piece of legislation generated heated debate and uproar before it was referred to the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Trade/Investment and Legal Services.

Titled “A Bill for an Act to Establish National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria, and for Connected Purposes, 2024,” the legislative document provided for the establishment of ranches for herders in their states of origin where they can raise their cattle as against the current practice of moving cows about and destroying farms in the process.

The bill proposed that every state should have three ranches at the cost of N1 billion, meaning that the 36 states would have 108 ranches at the cost of N324 billion.

However, some senators argued that forcing non-pastoralist states to establish ranches was unnecessary.

Amid the ensuing disagreement, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, pleaded that the bill should be passed to the relevant committee for further legislative work.

The debate, again, revived the knotty Northern-Southern sentiments.

Former Governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero, argued that the Fulani, being Nigerians, are protected by Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to reside in any state in Nigeria.

He said: “This bill proposes that the pastoralists should be confined to their states of origin.

“This is against the Constitution because they are Nigerians and should be allowed to move freely in Nigeria.”

According to the Kebbi lawmaker, ranches should be established as private businesses that do not require the involvement of the Federal Government through the establishment of a commission.

But Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is of the view that the bill could be a solution to the clashes between farmers and herders if properly managed.

He canvassed amendments to the Constitution and the Land Use Act to simplify the management of lands within the states.

Abaribe pointed out that while some herders were peaceful and engaged in the legitimate animal business, there were also criminal elements sponsored to destabilise communities.

“Farmers are under threat, and what that has led to is the food crisis that we face in Nigeria today,” he added.

In his contribution, Karimi Sunday (Kogi-West), suggested that the best way to go was for every state to establish ranches.

“I appreciate my colleague for introducing this bill. This is a national problem, and we all know this.

“We can’t just sit and do nothing as responsible parliamentarians.

“Before now, the North had cattle routes, which have been taken over by property owners. Now cattle roam the whole country. All states must be ready to establish cattle ranches,” he said.

Erstwhile governor of Gombe State, Mohammed Goje, observed that the bill was discriminatory by proposing to restrict the herders to a particular geographical location.

“There are many angles to this issue of farmers and herders. We have to tackle the problem holistically.

“These Fulani are Nigerians,” he maintained.

The same view was held by Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Suleiman Abdulrahman-Kawu, who said the bill would breach the constitutional rights of the herders.

“You can’t propose a law to attend to a particular group or section of the country only. This bill is not holistic, and we will fight it till the end,” he vowed.

However, Akpabio, while rounding off the debate, urged all senators to be calm by letting the bill go for a public hearing.

“We must hold a public hearing and bring all the stakeholders to have a say, including cattle rearers and the state governments,” he concluded.