Governor Abiodun signs anti-open grazing bill into law

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Thursday, signed into law the Bill to Regulate Animal Grazing and Establishment of Cattle Ranching in the State, and called on the security agencies to swing immediately into action and enforce provisions of the law.

Penpushing reports that, Abiodun, who assented to the bill during a Security Council meeting in the State Secretariat at Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, stated  that this is a subject matter that has been discussed along the length and breadth of the country and which Southern Governors have discussed and endorsed.

The Governor declared that , cattle rearers have a six- month period of grace before it becomes illegal in Ogun state for them  to occupy unapproved public areas and private land with their livestock for grazing.

Penpushing further reports that, the law also prohibits the act of moving cattle around public places by herders, while it is on record that,Ogun state has enjoyed peace among various ethnic nationalities until the recent farmer- herder skirmishes.

The government has announced a committee headed by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina to midwife the implementation and enforcement of the new law, while the signing of the anti-open grazing law by the Governor followed the decision of the Southern Governors’ Forum last August, setting the September deadline to pass the law across Member States.

Penpushing also reports that,there were pockets of crisis witnessed in the State as a result of alleged open grazing in the Yewa axis of the State in April, necessitating the setting up of a peace committee headed by a former House of Representatives, Hon. Kayode Oladele.

The crisis this year pitched Hausa-Fulani settlers against their Yoruba host communities, and it  is expected that the anti-open grazing law will prevent the spread of the menace across the State, while it is recalled that, the Ogun State House of Assembly had on July 8, 2021, passed the bill.

Penpushing reports that, Speaker of the House of Assembly Rt.Hon  Olakunle Oluomo subsequently transmitted a clean copy to Governor Dapo Abiodun for assent, as the bill was passed after unanimous votes by the lawmakers at the sitting where the bill was read the third time.

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