The National Grazing Bill

Senate

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 on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). She represents Niger South Senatorial District alongside Senators Dahiru Awaisu Kuta (PDP) Niger East and Senator Ibrahim Musa (APC) of Niger North respectively.

She has a BSc in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1984, and is the wife of former Governor of Niger State between 1999 and May 2007. According to This Day Newspaper reports, she had sponsored the National Grazing Reserves Establishment and Development Commission Bill, 2008 and the National Poverty Eradication Commission Bill, 2008.

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, with robust contributions.

The National Grazing Bill has Seven Parts.

Part 1, deals with the establishment of the national Grazing Reserve Commission, and it's powers, to be should controlled by a Governing Council whose membership tenure shall be four years, comprising a Chairman, one representative each from Federal Ministries of Agriculture Rural Development and Water Resources, Health, Environment Housing and Urban Development, and National Commission for Nomadic Education.

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.