BEVERLY HILLS, May 17, (THEWILL) – The Sponsor of the contentious National Grazing Routes and Reserves Bill, Hon. Sunday Karimi has declared that the public outcry over the bill was hasty and unnecessary, as many of the critics have not even read and digested the content.
The member representing Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives, who spoke in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, advised people to seek understanding of issues before opposing them.
He stressed that the bill does not prejudice the right of the state to establish and legislate on grazing reserves to be controlled by them or establish ranches and criminalise indiscriminate grazing.
Karimi, while stating that suggestions and modifications are welcome from Nigerians, while people are “welcome to the public hearing when scheduled”, assured that the bill will solve rustling, herdsmen’s violence, among others.
He explained that contrary to fears that communities will lose their land and ownership of such land will be transferred to the herdsmen, the land to be allocated for grazing will be managed by a Grazing Reserves Commission to be established by the bill and the commission is to have representatives in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
The lawmaker further stated that membership is to be drawn from the Land Use Allocation Committee of each state and that of the FCT.
According to him, “When we have a national problem on our hands like we are having it with the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers and communities, lives lost on a daily basis, what is expected of people in position of leadership? Do we fold our arms and say to your tents oh Israel? The functions and responsibilities of the representatives of the people in the Parliament include making good laws for peace, order, good governance and unity of our diverse citizenry.
“What we are doing is finding a solution to a problem that has defied all solutions essentially for several years. So, in the first place, we have a problem that got everybody thinking. The bill should be considered a solution being proffered. Those against the bill, criticising the effort, do not even bother to know the content. There are no perfect laws, but this bill, when patiently studied, is a good law. Unfortunately, anytime we have a situation like this in this country, we tend to succumb to sectional, tribal and religious sentiments.”
