Anti-Open Grazing law: Cattle herders/farmers law for southern Nigeria - Key facts

Anti-open Grazing law don dey active for many states across southern Nigeria.

Dis one simply mean say authorities for dis states get right to arrest and deal wit pipo or pesin wey carri cow or livestock to go eat grass for any open field or farm.

Di law mainly want to check di alleged killing of farmers and destruction of farmlands by herdsmen.

Southern Governors Forum for Nigeria bin set 1 September, 2021 as di deadline to activate di Anti-Open grazing law for dia states.

Di govnors meet on 5 July, 2021 for Lagos State wia dem set di deadline.

Since May, 2021 na im di govnors bin don announce di ban on open grazing for all 17 Southern States.

Dem recommend make di Federal Goment support States wey dey willing to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems.

Di reasons for di ban on open grazing according to di govnors na because say development and population don put pressure on available land.

And dis don increase di chances of kasala between migrating herders and local pipo for di south.

Na dis come make am important to ban open grazing, including cattle movement to di south by foot.

Dem add say di way armed herders, criminals and bandits dey take enter di southern part of Nigeria na di root of many di serious security challenges.

And so citizens not fit live dia normal lives again for di region, di govnors conclude.

Di Anti-open grazing law dey encourage ranching as a better way to raise livestock within a controlled environment.

Ranching fit solve dis palava between crop farmers and herdsmen, dem believe.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike as im dey sign di bill into law recently say;

"No be tori again. All of us know wetin our pipo don suffer sake of dis open grazing.

"Today all Nigerians don accept di reality say open grazing no dey fashionable again.

"Even our brothers wey dey North sef don agree say e no dey fashionable nowadays."

Anti- Opening Grazing law: Wetin dey inside di law many Southern States okay?

Di Anti- Opening Grazing law already dey operate for some southern States like; Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States for di south-west.

Abia and Ebonyi States for di South- East.

Bayelsa State for South-South even as Rivers State just sign di bill into law while di bill still dey di Assembly for Delta State.

Some common provisions wey dey inside di law wey some Southern states pass as we see for Abia State wey pass am for 2018, show say di main objectives of di law na:

1. To prevent destruction of crop farms, community ponds, settlement and property by open grazing of livestock.

2. To prevent clashes between nomadic livestock herders and crop farmers

3. To protect di environment from degradation and pollution wey open rearing and open grazing of livestock dey cause

4. Di Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources naim get di power to administer di law, regulate and control livestock for di State and give permit to ranchers

5. Di law recommend ranching as di solution to di farmer/herder palava.

Di law also spell out some grounds wey dem fit revoke any permit dem don grant and dis include:

1. Breach of State

2. Interest of peace

3. Breach of any term or condition for do lease hold

4. Overriding public interest as e dey for di Land Use Act

Di Anti-open Grazing law say no individual or group of pipo fit engage in open nomadic livestock herding or grazing for di State outside di permitted ranches.

Anti-Open Grazing law: Penalties for pipo wey fall di Cattle herders/farmers law

1. Dem go dey guilty of an offence and upon conviction, dem go dey liable to 5years imprisonment or pay fine [of one million naira] or both.

2. Di owner or manger of di livestock go pay compensation wia dem cause damage to farm, crops or property according to di prevailing monetary value.

3. Di owner or manager of di livestock go dey liable to 2 years imprisonment if dia livestock or dem injure any pesin witihn di State and dem go also pay di medical bill of di victim and pay relevant compensation as di court go determine.

4. Wia di contravention cause death of any pesin within di State, di owner or manner go dey guilty of di offence of homicide wey dey punishable under di criminal code laws

5. Any livestock owner, rancher or dia agent wey posses or own any firearms or arms go dey prosecuted under di Robbery and Firearms among odas.

Anti-Open Grazing law: Concerns around implementation of di law

Even as many farmers dey happy say di law don dey operate for some states for Southern Nigeria, dem still get concerns.

Dem dey worried say say herders still dey graze dia livestock openly.

States like Bayelsa don set up special committee wey dey monitor di state to arrest any pesin wey break di law.

And dem don make some arrests according to di law.

But for many, dem still dey wait to see how strong di law go dey to prevent any gbege between di local crop farmers and cattle herders as time dey go.