*Maiyetti Allah challenges legislation in Taraba, group splits in Benue

By John Mkom, Jalingo; Anayo Okoli, Umuahia; Samuel Oyandogha, Yenagoa; Wole Mosadomi, Minna; Vincent Ujumadu, Awka; Chidi Nkwopara, Owerri, Peter Duru, Makurdi and Rotimi Ojomoyela, Ado-Ekiti.

Herdsmen…

On May 7, 2017, Governor  Darius Ishaku  proposed  an executive bill to Taraba State House of Assembly to prohibit open grazing in the state.

The bill became necessary following a call by the House, urging the  executive arm to take measures to bring lasting solution to the killings and destruction of property in  the state  as a result of herdsmen and farmers’ clashes.

The bill is entitled, ‘A bill for a law to prohibit open rearing and grazing of livestock and provide for the establishment of ranches and the Taraba State livestock and ranches administration and control committee and for others connected thereto 2017’.

The House had good reason to call for the bill in the face of  herdsmen and farmers’ clashes in Taraba which had claimed no  fewer than  2,000 lives  and destroyed property worth billions of Naira.

After the anti-open grazing bill passed the second reading, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Peter Abel Diah, announced that  the committee  processing the bill was going to organize three weeks public hearing.

He said  the public hearing would engage stakeholders in the state who were into farming, grazing and cattle rearing to ensure  comprehensive deliberations before the passage of the bill into law.

Diah explained that  areas where the executive arm failed to capture in the bill would be addressed in the course of the deliberations.

But on June 12, the Maiyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association  took to the streets of Jalingo, the state capital, in protest  against the bill.

The association members, in their hundreds, stormed the state House of Assembly, demanding the stoppage of action on the bill.

Reading the protest speech, the Chairman, Maiyetti Allah, Taraba State Chapter, Alhaji Sahabi Mahmud Tukur, said the bill was  inimical, ill- intended, discriminatory and a misplaced priority, adding that the association rejected the bill in its entirety.

“Grazing, like any other occupation, is cultural which, in the case of Nigeria and Taraba State in particular, is practised substantially by the Fulani people. One may be very right to state that 90 per cent of the grazers belong to the group, However, the bill expected to provide this occupation has no provision whatsoever for the  members. For instance, those who drafted it did not find it expedient to get our  inputs, neither did they consider  to establish ranches for  us  to permanently settle for proper grazing”, Tukur said.

“We  call on members of the state House of Assembly who are representatives of the people to stop this bill in the collective interest of those they represent”.

The Chairman  threatened that there would be breakdown of law and order in Taraba should  the House insist on passing the bill into law. He also said the association and its allies would proceed on a one-week strike to press their demand.

“There will be no red meat, no cow in the market and all butchers will boycott market activities for seven days should the House fail to listen to our demand”.

Responding  immediately after the protest, Speaker  Diah condemned the Maiyetti Allah statement that Taraba  would witness a breakdown of law and order should the House  pass the bill into law.

Diah said the association was protesting in ignorance since all of the issues raised in the protest were accommodated  in the proposed  bill and there was room to listen to the concerned persons during the planned public hearing.

He said the committee set up by the House  to process  the bill had  set aside three weeks within which to  conduct the public hearing on the bill before its passage.

According to him, all issues  not stated clearly or seem confused to the public would  be addressed during the public hearing. The Speaker  said the House of Assembly had earmarked Wukari as a center for the public hearing for the people of the southern zone; Bali for the people of the central zone; and Jalingo, the state capital, for the people of the northern zone.

He called on  Maiyetti Allah to list the  areas they were not comfortable with in a memorandum for the public hearing.  He further stressed that the House had given room for groups and individuals to attend the public hearing with their lawyers.

Diah described the protest as a deliberate move by the Maiyetti Allah to cause public disorder in the state capital.  Diah said the group  did not follow due process in carrying out their protest which was the reason security men could not allow them access into the Assembly complex.

“How can you mobilize for protest and allow your members to carry arms? The state House of Assembly is an organized place and security agencies will not allow mayhem. I think that was why they were not allowed to gain entrance into the complex, but  as a leader  elected by the people, I on attending to attend to them even  as they carried their weapons”, the Speaker said.

The following day (Tuesday), all the abattoirs in  Jalingo and other major towns in Taraba were closed by the Maiyetti Allah in an apparent move to implement their demand.

One of the biggest livestocks market in the North-East located in Iwari, Taraba State was shut down. Buyers, who had travelled from the South-East to attend the market, went back disappointed. The state capital experienced the strike for two days.

Governor Ishaku  condemned the protest by the Maiyetti Allah  and the attendant strike.

Ishaku, who spoke through his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Sylvanus Giwa, said the Maiyetti Allah action was condemnable and uncalled for.

“The Jalingo abattoir is a state government facility and we want to warn that nobody has the right to close it without the permission of  government. We are hereby calling on the Maiyetti Allah to stay away from the facility and allow people to go about their normal businesses”, the governor said.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/herdsmens-new-threat-stop-anti-grazing-law-will-trouble/

Front Page: Lalasticlala Mynd44

Who else can see the handwritting?

I thought they said these Herdsmen are from Mali,Niger,Chad...Lol.They forgot to mention Britain and America.
Blood thirsty Terrorists sponsored by Top Government officials and aided by security agents.

We Christains must resist this government. If not you'll be forced to convert to the forbidden Islam. Just like the cowards who are half Christain half Islam. I wonder how that happened. It shows they were cowards who couldn't defend their territory from Dan fodio

dlondonbadboy:
Who else can see the handwritting?

Only a 'blind' person won't see the handwriting.

Anyway all this nonsense won't stop the bill. Who cares if they don't sell their redmeat they will go broke before anyone starves. If your from Taraba please attention the public hearing and voice your support for the bill.

For instance, those who drafted it did not find it expedient to get our  inputs, neither did they consider  to establish ranches for  us  to permanently settle for proper grazing”, Tukur said.

These guys know how to lie. There's a public hearing and they're allowed to bring lawyers. Buy your own land. They will likely allocate land like Ekiti did. It should be noted ranches already exist in Taraba so they should simply start their own.

All hail the zoo!

there's something behind this, and it the islamic agenda. they all going to fail

The terrorists are no longer Libyans according to saint Buhari?

Blue3k:


Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/herdsmens-new-threat-stop-anti-grazing-law-will-trouble/

Front Page: Lalasticlala Mynd44

They are minority and can't do anything. The bill is a good one.

ShootToKill:
The fulanis should also mobilize ewedu muslims to help them protest against the Bill.

They will need it since the aren't docile like SE in this issue. Anyway troll better.