The bill, which is before the Senate, has by Wednesday, passed the second reading, preparatory to having it sent to the president for assent.
Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria are a series of disputes over arable land resources across Nigeria between the mostly Fulani herders and the non-Fulani farmers.
To stem the crisis, the bill to ban open grazing scaled second reading after a slightly heated debate, which had the Senate propose a national summit on the matter, in addition to a public hearing for a comprehensive solution.
The proposal followed after a motion on the bill was moved by Senator Titus Zam representing Benue North-West, who argued, in his lead debate, that the menace of farmers and herders’ crises can easily be cured through a legislative therapy banning open grazing in Nigeria.
Zam’s argument also hinged on the need to adopt international best practices in animal husbandry by establishing a law to stop open grazing to discard the old-fashioned, hazardous and burdensome culture.
According to him, “The bill advocates for the urgent need to transit from traditional livestock-keeping methods to modern methods which are safer and healthier for both the herds and the herders.
“The bill proposes that ranches be established in the pastoralists’ state of origin without forcing it upon other states or communities that do not have pastoralists as citizens.
“The bill further proposes that interested parties in livestock business must seek and obtain approvals of their host communities to establish ranches for peaceful co-existence.”
A portion of the bill which proposed that ranches be established in pastoralist states without forcing it in other states that do not have pastoralist communities became the subject of contention.
Despite opposition by some lawmakers including the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who suggested that the bill be stepped down, the majority of lawmakers gave their support when the matter was eventually put to a voice vote.
The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Trade and Investment and Legal Services to report back in one month.
