EXPOSED!!! Bill to forcefully take land from Nigerians for Fulani herdsmen grazing still alive

Despite denial by lawmakers, a bill to compulsorily take land from Nigerians for the purpose of grazing is still in the national assembly, report says.

According to The Cable, the bill, entitled National Grazing Routes and Reserve Bill, 2016, is sponsored by Sunday Karimi, a member of the house of representatives from Mopa-Moro/Yagba West/East federal constituency in Kogi state.

Emmanuel Oker-Jev, chairman, house committee on rules and business, told TheCable that the bill had been consolidated, and that it would come up for second reading.

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Here is the highlights of the bill as published by the newspaper.

Highlights of the bill from the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) shows that Part I contains provisions on how the commission is to be established, its officers and their tenure, funding and administration.

Section 1 establishes the commission as a corporate body capable of suing and being sued, and capable of acquiring property.

It situates the headquarters of the commission in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and it requires state governments to provide land for offices in the states under the ministry of agriculture or lands.

On funding, Section 6 provides that the federal government will establish a fund for commission. This fund will be used to take care of the running costs of the commission, reimburse its members, pay salaries etc. The director-general will be the chief executive and accounting officer of the commission.

Part II of the bill states the functions of the commission in Clause 11 to include: Establishment, management, maintenance and control of cattle routes, farm camps and grazing reserves in different parts of the country; prescribing persons who may use the grazing reserve, number and type of stocks that may be permitted therein; provision of grazing permits and prescribing fees for usage of the routes and reserves and activities that may be carried therein, and regulating conditions of entry, imposing penalties for breach of its regulations, and prosecuting those in breach.

It further gives the commission the power to demarcate or to advise on the boundaries of the grazing route and reserve.

Paragraph 2 of Clause 11 adds that the grazing reserves will in the long run emerge as ranches.

Part III of the bill makes provisions on land. For example, it prohibits unauthorised entry into a grazing reserve or route, and unauthorised transfer of rights of such land, loss of rights to such land where it has not been exercised for 10 years and closure of rights of way or watercourse where it deems fit.

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Part IV details the procedure for acquiring grazing routes and reserves and it includes: A physical/geographical analysis of the land use to ascertain the best locations within the states for such routes or reserves, and that the 36 state governors cooperate with the commission to accomplish this objective.

The bill requires governors to transfer identified land to the commission for use as grazing land. The governor shall then issue an order stipulating the limits of the land acquired and the interest transferred.

The bill also provides for notices to be issued or served on affected citizens.

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