Hon. Elvert Ayambem, Member representing Ikom II State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, is already sponsoring – A bill seeking to prohibit open raring and grazing of livestock and provide for the establishment of ranches and livestock and grazing management, regulation and control. That’s the full title of the bill and it has passed second reading in plenary.
Provisions in the law, amongst others, include:
“No person shall engage in open nomadic livestock herding or grazing in the State except within the confines of a ranch approved under this law.
“The Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture shall ensure that a veterinary doctor is sent at least once a month to every ranch to conduct a check on the livestock for quarantine or biosecurity measures.
“Every owner or manager of a ranch shall ensure compliance with every veterinary check on the livestock for quarantine or biosecurity measures.
“A person who contravenes the provisions of sub section (1) of this section, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to confinement in a Correctional Center for a term of five years or a fine of N10 Million or both.
“In a case of damage to a farm, crops, property or accident, the owner or manager of the livestock shall, after evaluation of the damage, pay the prevailing value of monetary compensation of the damaged farms, crops or property to the owner of the farm.”
My question simply is that: is our Governor saying he is not going to sign those portions of the bill that have actually legislated nomadic roaming of cattle out of legitimacy?
Or what exactly is he trying to impress on us?
I’m still confused.
Yours sincerely
Citizen Agba Jalingo, Publisher of CrossRiverWatch and a rights activist is a Cross Riverian and writes in from Lagos.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Agba Jalingo and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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