Stakeholders Call For Enforcement of Anti-Open Grazing Law

The Cattle Menace and Conflict Resolution Committee in collaboration with other stakeholders, have called for the constitution of a Committee that would ensure the full enforcement of Anambra State Anti-Open Grazing Law.

The conflict resolution committee which was set-up three years ago, by the government of Nigeria, International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD and the Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP made the call across the eight participating council areas to deliver on their mandate.

This was to serve as a back up to the Anambra state Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s recent pronouncement on anti-open grazing law, which was to commence last month.

Members of the committee were drawn from the police, Department of State Services, DSS, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Immigration, Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC, transition committee chairmen, traditional rulers, generals, members of Community Agricultural Forum, CAF and farmers.

Branding of Cattles

The chairman, Awka North traditional rulers council and traditional ruler of Ebenebe Community, Igwe Chris Nnaegbuna suggested branding of Cattles with local government or community initials for proper identification in case of malicious damage.

The suggestion was given at the Awka North Council Headquarters, Achalla, to the monitoring team from the state coordination office of the FGN IFAD VCDP arrived.

Igwe Nnaegbuna, who lamented on the degree of destruction he personally recorded in his farm due to destructions by Cattles, call for the employment of forest guards.

He also advised that cattle rearers be mandated to buy lands or lease same for proper ranching.

Inclusion Of Fulani Herdsmen
The secretary of CAF, Anambra East Local Government Area, Mr. Felix Anigbogu listed inclusion of Fulani herdsmen in the Cattle Menace and Conflict Resolution Committee as some of their resolutions.

Mr. Anigbogu stated that the committee also called for synergy between all the security agencies and local vigilante groups to aid in counting of the headers resident in the community for optimum result.

Addressing participants at the various council areas visited, the leader of the team and the state Programme Coordinator, FGN IFAD VCDP, Mr. Nnamdi Agwuncha said that the Cattle Menace and Conflict Resolution Committee was saddled with the responsibility of protecting farmers’ crops and promoting their welfare.

Mr. Agwuncha, who was represented by the state Agricultural Production Officer, FGN IFAD VCDP, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwukwelu, reminded them to always insure their farms to have a fall back in case of any eventuality.

Lateefah Ibrahim