On Wednesday, the Senate was divided as a bill aiming to establish a National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission passed its second reading in Abuja.
Sponsored by Sen. Titus Tartenger-Zam from Benue State, the bill seeks to address the frequent clashes between herders and farmers across Nigeria. The bill, 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,” primarily proposes creating ranches for herders in their states of origin to prevent the current practice of moving cattle that leads to farm destruction.
A financial compendium attached to the bill estimates the cost of establishing three ranches per state at N1 billion each, totaling N324 billion for 108 ranches across the 36 states.
In his lead debate, Sen. Tartenger-Zam emphasized that the proposed ranches would be established in pastoralists’ states of origin and not imposed on other states or communities without pastoralist populations. However, many northern senators opposed this provision. Despite the bill passing the second reading by a voice vote, the preceding debate highlighted significant disagreements, particularly among northern senators who insisted that Fulani herders should be free to reside anywhere in Nigeria, citing constitutional rights under Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
Sen. Adamu Aliero, a former Governor of Kebbi State, argued that restricting pastoralists to their states of origin was unconstitutional. He suggested that ranches should be a private business without Federal Government involvement. He would support the bill only if this restrictive provision were removed.
Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe believed that, if managed properly, the bill could help resolve farmer-herder clashes. He recommended amending the constitution and the Land Use Act for better land management within states. Sen. Karimi Sunday (Kogi-West) supported state-level ranch establishments, noting that the North’s traditional cattle routes have been overtaken by property owners, leading to uncontrolled cattle movement nationwide.
Former Governor of Gombe State, Sen. Mohammed Goje, and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Sen. Suleiman Abdulrahman-Kawu, both viewed the bill as discriminatory and constitutionally problematic. They argued that it unfairly targeted a specific group and could worsen the situation.
Senate President Sen. Godswill Akpabio, concluding the debate, urged for calm and proposed a public hearing to gather input from all stakeholders, including cattle rearers and state governments. He assured senators that efforts would be made to reach a consensus on the bill, including possible amendments to the Land Use Act.
The bill passed the second reading and was referred to the joint Committee on Agriculture, Trade/Investment, and Legal Services, with a report expected within four weeks.
