Cattle grazing bill passes second reading in Akwa Ibom Assembly

A bill for a law to regulate and control cattle grazing in Akwa Ibom scaled through the second reading at the plenary of the House of Assembly in Uyo on Tuesday.

The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Nse Ntuen, lawmaker representing Essien Udim state constituency and 11 others, sought to prohibit uncontrolled grazing of cattle across the state.

Ntuen, the lead sponsor, said that the bill, when passed into law, would check incessant destruction of food crops on farmlands by grazing cattle and other ruminants.

He said that the bill would abolish night grazing and make provision for designated grazing areas or cattle ranches across the state.

He said that the bill would prohibit any person from allowing cattle or other ruminants belonging to him or under his control to graze on lands that were not designated as grazing areas.

The bill is seeking the prohibition of the movement of cattle and other ruminants at night, while restricting the movement of the animals to specific hours of the day.

After exhaustive deliberation on the general principles of the bill, all the members unanimously agreed that the bill should be read a second time.

The Speaker, Mr Onofiok Luke, committed the bill to the joint House Committees on Agriculture and Environment for further legislative work.

He later said that the House would reconvene on Feb.28.