The Nigerian Senate has passed a bill to establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission after a heated debate on Wednesday.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Titus Tartenger Zam representing Benue North West was meant to control and regulate cattle rearing ranching business across the country.

Explaining the general principles of the bill, Zam canvassed the need for the proposed Commission to manage, regulate, and preserve ranches across the country.

He said: “The proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission is for management, preservation, and control of ranches throughout Nigeria.”

The bill, however, met stiff opposition from Senator Danjuma Goje from Gombe and his counterpart from Kebbi, Adamu Aliero.

Both Lawmakers and former governors argued that cattle rearing and ranching activities were more in the North than in other parts of the country, reasoning that lawmaking should be for the entire country and not for a section.

Goje specifically maintained that cattle routes begin from the far north and end in Lokoja as “the route does not extend to the South”.

In his contribution, Senator Hussein Babangida Uba, representing Jigawa North-West, called for extra caution in passing the bill, given its trail of controversies in the past.

Other Senators who supported the bill contended that the proposed Commission would manage the farmers/herders crisis, hence, it should be passed.

The bill was passed after it was put to voice vote by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

It was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Judiciary and Legal Matters to be reverted in four weeks.

written by Samson Atekojo Usman
(Daily Post)

This Senate is very active, unlike the precious administration

Cattle rearing is a personal business

Disaster is ahead.

The main problem here is that the Fulani herdmen are taking advantage of climatic change and the bastardized world ecology. If these issues are not addressed, wahala. More people will die.

An observation done by ecology experts in ranches in the US, they found that cattles reluctantly eat grasses grown with fertilizer. They prefer naturally grown grasses and legumes. They noticed that farmers don't apply fertilizer and chemicals to boundaries of their farm, and those animals always run for any little grasses along the boundaries of farms. When they have pulled out those ones, they reluctantly start eating green grasses grown with fertilizers we thought are the best.

Then, they grew grasses without fertilizer and chemicals, and the animals love it. Vet doctors were far away from them. Their poo were nourishing and kept making the grasses grow organically. So, what is the lesson learned here?

If FG gets someone who understands how to grow grasses on barren land (our reserved are barren land now), cattle will pin herdmen in the reserved area. Na herdmen want to move them around when they love the grasses? when those animals show that they are not that interested in the grasses grown with fertilizer, those herdmen move them out. And what do you expect? They feast on natural grasses. But we don't have much natural grasses around. So, what next do you think farmers don't use fertilisers to grow? Cassava. Lol. This is why they invade cassava farms seriously. Also, many still don't use enough fertilizers on corn. So, they still invade that, too. But take note... they invade cassava farms more. Do they really love cassava leaves like that? Of course not. If you give them natural grasses, they will never enter cassava farms cos they naturally prefer grasses.

While this bill is the right way to go, FG needs to find experts who understand growing grasses naturally. And so far, I think over 99% consultants can not do it. Most use chemicals and ferilizers. They can only make hay and fodder for livestock. especially when fermented, those animals love it. But how much of that can they do?

Cattle rearing is all about being a grasses farmer. People think it is all about livestock. Nope. It is not about giving them antibiotics and Vaccines. It is about growing grasses for them. When you grow natural grasses for them, they don't need antibiotics and Vaccines. Diseases will be far away from them.

Here is my point. The real cattle farmer is not the one who takes care of the animals but the one who grows grasses for them. The one who grows their food is the real farmer. He can easily do away with the modern days stress involved in it. The modern days' stress and management are what we created for ourselves.

Sustainability, ecological, and environmental knowledge is the way forward.

Sambisa forests need to be made a natural grassland for cattle....believe me...herdmen will be locked there permanently. Their business of carrying gun is finished. Na dem wan move 250kg cow from his food? They wan die? Lol.

This case is very simple to address. But FG will not get it right. Lol. I am in my home watching the inefficiency of looters in Abuja. Lol. Governors, too, are clueless about this issue. I don't think I have seen any Nigerian agricultural minister who understands it. And moreover, their friend Dangote is the father of fertilizer in Nigeria. Lol. How will they get it right? They will NEVER.

God bless Naija! Amen.