The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday adopted Senator Henry Seriake Dickson’s position that the Federal Government should provide funds for the establishment of ranches across the country in collaboration with states, local government areas, and businesses.
Sen. Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West, disclosed this while contributing to the debate on perennial clashes between herders and farmers on Tuesday.
According to him, animal husbandry is legitimate; he advocated for well-sorted-out policies to regulate the sector.
This comes as the former Bayelsa state governor urged the federal government to provide funding to livestock businesses.
He said, “Animal husbandry is a legal business. Maybe we should use the opportunity of this motion, because we deal with this every time. We should use this opportunity to order the committee, especially now that the president has established a ministry to deal with livestock issues.
“Let us mandate them to interact with the executive and come up with a proposal for nationwide ranching as a legal business.
“The federal government has to intervene and provide funding because these herdsmen are actually victims of the economic situation as well, carrying cattle from Sokoto State and trekking to Bayelsa, Lagos, and other states.
“The Senate Committee on National Security and the Senate Committee on Agriculture should interface with the executive arm, the newly established Ministry of Livestock and the Ministry of Agriculture, and come up with a proposal for the Senate to look at the establishment of ranches, modern ranches that are commercially viable and safe both for the herders and also for the locals across the country.”
According to him, these should be done with the state’s, local governments, and private businesses that want to invest in ranching.
Dickson further stated that his belief in ranching as a solution to open grazing, which is at the centre of the clashes between farmers and herdsmen, dates back to his policy, 10 years ago, when, as Governor of Bayelsa State, he suggested that the federal, state, and local governments and businesses should invest in ranches where the herdsmen will keep their animals and operate their businesses.
He said that the Central Bank of Nigeria should provide the finances as loans.
He said in Bayelsa, herdsmen and their animals were assigned a place in Bayelsa Palms where the police and civil defence provided security.
“There was water, an abattoir, veterinary services, a cattle market, and grasses for the animals. Bayelsa then announced stern measures against the illegal bearing of weapons by anyone,” he added.
Sen. Dickson had also explained then that since the Constitution provided for freedom of movement of people and their goods and property, it would be illegal to ban herdsmen moving with their animals.
He added that the Bayelsa policy has since become a state law.
Sen Anthony Yaro had moved the motion following attacks by bandits in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State, where they set fire to homes, killed people and destroyed large quantities of food and livestock.
Others, who spoke were Sen Abdul Ningi who questioned the effectiveness of security votes allocated to Governors, Sen Titus Zam, who emphasised that the long-term solution was required and Sen Adams Oshiomhole who called for a law to regulate the movement of people and cattle from neighbouring countries into Nigeria under the guise of the ECOWAS treaty.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, put Sen Dickson’s position to vote and it was carried without an opposition.
Senate adopts Sen Dickson’s call for modern Ranching
