Another cheery news filtered out in the media in the passing week that the Assembly men in Enugu State finally took the bull by its horn to castrate it’s scrotal sack. The procedural zeal to reign in the humongous Bull as it were which has brutalized the citizens of this nation did not come to many as a surprise. It was a war long drawn and had expected no scarbard sheathing of the swords to deal with the monster. Fact is that the monster appears not to be a respecter of class or status, but one has often wondered why the government both at the central and regional levels have dilly dallied over a long time and at the same time allowing the process that allows unfettered access to a group of people who engage in pastoral farming but taking prisoners of the land which provide the fodders for their flocks to fester.
The situation got not quite a few worried to no end fueling speculations that the authorities were hands in glove with the process which seeks to exterminate a greater number of the citizens, while their loved ones and associates are safely ensconced in far away foreign lands and away from the madness, the Nigerian state has become in recent time. Well, this remains the position even to date. But we must however clap once for the political leaders in the Southern divide who must have begun to feel the heat and agreed to hold a summit irrespective of their political inclinations to chart out a political solution to the lingering farmers/herders crisis that have today ensured food insecurity never experienced before in the nation’s history despite the narrative that government is investing millions of Nigerian Naira in the agricultural sector. What a shame! Arising from the well publicized summit of the Southern governors forum held recently in the Lagos state capital, the issues of farmers/herders crisis featured prominently on their agenda and a resolution was reached to find a political solution to stem the tide.
All the leaders were agreed that an enabling law should be enacted in their respective domains as a matter of priority and urgency to ban open grazing practices seen to be incongruent with modern day best practices of livestock farming. What is more? As with every campaign and strategic planning, time-line was agreed upon too. It should be recalled that, the Benue state leader had before now applied the same political approach in his domain. Therefore, the agreement of the southern leaders is not only seen as a welcome development but one that would send the right signals to the central government who is seen to be in tacit support of the archaic method of livestock farming of movement from place to place.
As the bill to enact ban on open grazing across all the Southern states is presently lying before all the respective Houses of Assembly and receiving attention, kudos must be given to the Assembly men and women in the Enugu Legislative chambers for expediting action in this regard and ensured that the bill is finally passed. It is never in doubt that this feat as difficult as the process of enacting the bill may seem, that a great masquerade was behind all their every move to ensure that this happens in a record time. Governor Ugwuanyi’s massive encouragement and support to Mrs. Amaka Ugwueze’s led joint Committee on the bill which seeks to prohibit open grazing, regulate cattle ranching and for connected purposes can never be over emphasized. Today, while other legislative Assemblies in the Southern Nigerian region are still dilly dallying on the bill with most of them being discouraged by the attitudes and dispositions of their state Chief Executives, Enugu State has become the first state in the entire South East region to pass the bill on open grazing ban and by extension, one of the first 5 in the entire Southern region to pass the bill.
I’d equally like to share in the optimism expressed by the Hon. Speaker of the Enugu House of Assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi that the first legislative hurdle has been surmounted, the second, which is the Governor’s accent to the bill to give it the necessary legal bite would never pose a problem. We know Governor Ugwuanyi and his antecedents. A leader who is always propelled in the way of the masses. A people driven leader. If he could support the Assembly men and women to turn in a 16 page document which encapsulated all the requirements driving the necessary nails into the coffin of the proponents of open grazing and wandering livestock farming, he would never relent until the Bill becomes a legal document.
What then does it take to append pen to a paper to authenticate a law which going forward would be cited as Enugu State Prohibition of Open Grazing, Regulate Cattle Ranching, and other Connected Purposes (HB.7) 2021, some people may want to ask?.
As far as I know, a bill to ensure a perfect order, enhance security and peace of Ndi Enugu which has become part of governor Ugwuanyi’s personal philosophy would never lie in wait for too long. Governor Ugwuanyi represents the audacity of courage for the people of Enugu State in particular and the entire nation in general.
Can anyone repudiate the fact that Enugu state is firmly in the hands of God???.
Let him or her come forward.
Bibian Anekwe News added – “Leadership is not about the next election, it’s about the next generation” .
Written by
© Austin Okechukwu Chijioke.
A Public Affairs Commentator.
Media Team Member of ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT
