It is no longer news that the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday committed the bill on open grazing to the committee on agriculture after it scaled the second reading.
For Lagosians, the good news is that all the lawmakers who spoke on the bill were united on one point: there would be no law to permit cattle rearers to graze openly in Lagos communities.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa launched the first salvo. He described the ‘Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill’ as timely and would ensure harmonious relationships between herders and farmers.
Speaking earlier on the bill on open grazing, Hon. Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho 1) gave three reasons against open grazing.
First, he lamented the havoc that herdsmen had caused in the southwestern zone due to open grazing,
Second, he said farmers are afraid to visit their farms thus causing shortage of food. He also said many farmers had become indebted and find it difficult to pay back loans.
Third, he said it was lamentable that cattle roam the streets causing accidents and embarrassing people and advocated for stiffer penalties for herders caught carrying firearms.
Hon. Kehinde Joseph (Alimosho 2) who chairs the committee on Agriculture backed him. He gave the fifth reason, arguing that open grazing in the 21st century is an aberration.
Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, in his contribution, gave the sixth reason. To him, Lagos is a cosmopolitan state and, as such, having to see cattle in the streets is worrisome.
He expressed support for the bill because, according to him, it would give a level of security to the state and reduce economic losses. He added that Lagos has 250 hectares of land in Ikorodu and another 750 hectares on Epe for ranching.
The seventh reason came from Hon. Tobun Abiodun (Epe 1) and Hon. David Setonji (Badagry 2) Both said the ban on open grazing would discourage the menace of seeing cattle in schools.
According to Hon. Setonji: “We went on oversight function in a school here in Lagos. We were embarrassed by cattle. We had to wait for the herder to move the cattle before we embarked on our oversight function.”
Setonji suggested a collaboration between men of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps and the police in the implementation of the law when passed and assented to.
Other lawmakers who contributed during plenary include Hon. Adedamola Richard Kasunmu, Hon. Rasheed Makinde and Hon. Sanni
Read: Enugu Assembly passes anti-open grazing bill
