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The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore says the anti-open grazing law, which was recently enacted by some states will worsen cattle rustling and undermine stability.
Mr Saleh Alhassan, the National Secretary of the association, made the call on Monday during a National Peace Summit and Investiture of Queen Mother Amina Temitope Ajayi as the Miyetti Allah Brand Ambassador at Uke, Karu Local Government, Nasarawa State.
Alhassan said the anti-open grazing law would destroy livestock production and send millions of people that depend on the livestock value chain into poverty.
He called on the National Assembly to come to the rescue of the pastoralists by “resuscitating and passing the Grazing Reserves Commission Bill and other livestock management bills that were initiated by the previous assembly”.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to create a Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries as obtainable in many African countries.
Alhassan stressed the need for the government to take an inventory of all the existing grazing reserves, traditional grazing areas, transhumance corridors, major stock routes and fully develop at least one grazing reserve in each Senatorial District.
“This is in line with the recommendation of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Livestock Development in Nigeria 2015, the Report of the President Committee on Pastoralists and Insecurity 2014 and National Livestock Transformation Programme,” he said.
He said the review of the Land Use Act was long overdue to accommodate the interest of all land resources users, including pastoralists.
He added that ranching as envisaged by many required capital investment and was difficult to sustain, not economical “and it is not small livestock holder-centred”.
“Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore totally condemns the continuous extortion and profiling of the Fulani pastoralists by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue and we call on him to offer an apology to the Fulani race.”
“We commend the courageous efforts of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari for listening to our consistent call to restore the existing grazing reserves, routes and create new ones.
“Because it is the only sustainable solution to the farmers and herders conflicts in the country,” he said.
