By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Cross River State Governor, Sen. Ben Ayade has signed the Cross River State Livestock and Grazing Management bill into law.
The Governor also signed the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption bill recently passed by the Cross River State House of Assembly into law.
At the signing ceremony held at the Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, Calabar, Ayade described the two laws as masterpieces of legislation.
He commended the Speaker and members of the State House of Assembly for their foresight and dexterity in fashioning the laws.
Giving details of the law on open grazing, the governor said: “Contrary to what most States have done, we have made containment and control measures to define the beacons of range through which any form of ranching can be done.
“The law is very detailed. It provides penalties for straying cattle as well as cattle rustling. Anybody who steals cattle belonging to a herdsman, there is a penalty provided in the law. Any herdsman who allows his cattle to stray out of the ranch, there is a penalty. So with this law, we have protected the farmers and we have protected the herders too.
“This way we did not ban but we have controlled grazing, we have controlled movement of cattle and made a provision that all movement of cattle within the State has to be by vehicle, so, there would no longer be trekking with cows through farmlands.”
Ayade debunked insinuations that the law has legitimized the destruction of farmlands by farmers.
On the anti-corruption law, the Cross River State Governor explained that it offers a guarantee of transparency in the way and manner public offices are handled.
“It brings the watchdog closer to us and brings us to a point where we will have ultimate value for the resources of our State.
“It is the domestication of the criminal administration law of Nigeria which Cross River has domesticated and this law derives its strength from the concurrence of the criminal Justice of Nigeria.
“Essentially, by the provisions of the new law, the Cross River State House of Assembly now has a superintending authority over the disbursement and distribution of resources of the State,” he said.
Earlier, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Eteng Jones Williams expressed optimism that “the two important laws will shape the behavioral pattern of Cross Riverians.”