Southern Govs’ Open Grazing Ban: Miyetti Allah Demands Alternatives, Deadline Extension

An association of cattle breeders, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, on Tuesday said it would be unrealistic to enforce the ban on open grazing because there are no alternatives.

Its National Secretary, Alhassan Saleh, an engineer, said the ban is a negative policy designed to destroy the livelihood of herders.

According to him, the cattle business is not a shop that can be closed at any time.

“Where are we taking the cattle to? Are we packing them inside the shop or in government houses?

“It is a negative policy that won’t be recognised. Herders will go about their normal business because the animals have to feed.

“You can’t wake up and say you want to destroy people’s economic livelihood and you say you are making a law. Making law is one thing; implementing it is another.

“Whether the law would bring peace or not, there should be alternatives for us.”

The Enugu Branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) pleaded for 30 more days to make input in the bill.

The association made the demand through the leadership of the Northern community in Enugu State and the Southeast Zonal Chairman of MACBAN), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, at a public hearing conducted by the Enugu House of Assembly yesterday.

Leader of the Northern Community, Sarki Sambo, said they were in support of any law that would bring peace and security to the state.

The leaders said: “Given the technical demands of the large volume of documents that came with the invitation, it dawned on us that we would not be able to make any presentation that would be assumed to truly bear our composite position on the subject under the pressure of five days’ preparation.”

They asked for more time to “articulate a position for submission to the House”.