The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) says its members are not ready for the Lagos State Government ban on open grazing.
This is after the ‘Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill’ passed second reading at the House of Assembly.
The bill seeks to outlaw open grazing, the trespass of cattle, illegal entering into farmlands, among others.
In their reaction on Wednesday, Miyetti Allah’s Zonal Secretary in South-West, Maikudi Usman, said the body needs more time to enlighten herders.
Speaking at a one-day public hearing organised by the state legislature, Usman said herders are not used to breeding cattle in one place.
“When we say we will keep cattle in one place, the owner of the cattle will not have funds to feed the animals in one place.
“They (herdsmen) depend on going from one place to another because during the rainy season, we have where we settle down, and we also have for the dry season.
“We are pleading with the state government to give us more time to tell our people and train them on how to breed cattle in one place and not encroach on farmers’ land,” he said.
Usman added that it would be more expensive to breed cattle in one location, and urged Lagos authorities to amend the proposed bill.
