IBADAN – Oyo State House of Assembly has passed the anti-open grazing bill into law, saying it will foster peace and promote agricultural business in the state.
The bill, which was passed at Thursday plenary, is to avoid continuous damages and end loss of lives and unquantifiable investment to constant clashes between herders and farmers.
The Speaker, Rt Hon Adebo Ogundoyin appealed to residents to ignore falsehoods and misconceptions of the prohibition of Open Rearing and Grazing of Livestock bill that are capable of triggering hostility between the herders and local farmers’ communities.
According to him, a public hearing was held in which critical reviews and opinions of all concerned stakeholders, individuals, groups and experts were accommodated and considered before being passed into law.
Ogundoyin said: “We assured the people that all suggestions and memoranda of understanding submitted by various groups, agencies and representatives of different communities and tribes on the open rearing and grazing regulation bill 2019 was painstakingly looked into before it was passed into law.
“I am appealing to everyone to shun the rumour spreading that the law is to make life and business unbearable for some targeted group or set of people, rather it seeks to promote peace among residents and different tribes in Oyo state.”
The Speaker maintained the Ninth Oyo Assembly, through the law, was only seeking a legal framework to address the issue of open rearing and grazing as well as encourage and protect the economic activities of others who are into agricultural-related ventures and the residents.
“Both herders and crop farmers are farmers, and because laws are made to correct, definitely we do not expect it to favour anyone 100 per cent. I implore them to embrace developmental changes this law is bringing into the agricultural business after its enactment.
“Let us consider a partnership, cluster farming, cooperative ranches and other helpful methods that are working in successful neighbouring countries. If we truly desire development and growth in our agriculture, then we have to get ready and adopt new strategies to boost our produces and reduce loss of resources and lives,” he stated.
