A bill for an act to establish the National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation, and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria and for connected purposes 2024 (SB. 466) has caused a ruckus among Senators in the National Assembly, News About Nigeria reports.
Northern senators and senators from other geopolitical zones in the country had a heated argument concerning the establishment of the bill on Wednesday after it came up for debate.
It was gathered that after a heated debate, the Senate passed the bill for a second reading and referred it to the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Judiciary, and Legal Matters to revert in four weeks.
The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue North-West), is supposed to control and regulate cattle ranching businesses across the country.
While speaking, Zam noted that there is a need for the proposed Commission to manage, regulate, and preserve ranches across the country.
According to him, the proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission is for the management, preservation, and control of ranches throughout Nigeria.
However, some lawmakers, including Senator Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) and Senator Adamu Aliero (PDP, Kebbi Central), opposed the signing of the bill into an act.
They argued that cattle rearing and ranching activities were more prevalent in the North than in other parts of the country, adding that lawmaking should be for the entire country and not for a section.
The bill was, however, passed after it was put to a voice vote by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
