Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday stated that the Federal Government lacked the powers to seize land from states for the establishment of grazing reserves or livestock production centres. Osinbajo also announced that herdsmen would pay for the services to be rendered by the proposed ranches or grazing reserves by the government.He stated these at the opening ceremony of a two-day summit on national security organised by the Senate in Abuja. Also in attendance are the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.); the service chiefs and senators.Osinbajo said, “Let me reiterate that on no account will any land be seized or forcefully taken to create ranches or grazing areas. All insinuations to that effect should be disregarded. No one is giving land to herdsmen, as is being falsely alleged. “Instead, it is in our view that states that are willing and have set aside land for development should cooperate with willing investors in commercially-viable, government-supported ranches or livestock production centres for commercial use.”The VP however pointed out that some states, especially in the North, had duly gazetted grazing reserves.According to him, a majority of these grazing reserves are degraded and without pasture or water, especially during thedry season. He added, “There is also a clear sense which I think must be appreciated, that the Federal Government cannot dictate to states what to do with their land. This is so because the Land Use Act of 1978 puts land under the control of governors on behalf of their states.“Also, the Supreme Court in the case of the Attorney General of Lagos State versus the Attorney General of the Federation in 2004, held that the use of land resources and permits for such use lie firmly in the hands of state governments. Even for use of federal lands in the states accordingto the Supreme Court, building or development control permit must be sought from the governors of the states.”Osinbajo noted that grazing routes leading to these reserves must also be secured.He said for the grazing reserves to be effective and operate effectively, they should be operated as ranches or livestock production centres on a commercial basis. Osinbajo said, “Theranches will have adequate water from boreholes, salt points and pasture. The locations would serve both as forage points and centres for providing extension services to boost animal care, feeding and veterinary facilities, and even abattoirs. Because the ranches are commercial ventures, cattle owners will pay for their use. “It is important to note that by and large, in consultation with stakeholders, all agreethat where adequate provision is made on a commercial basis,there is no reason why there won’t be cooperation to use those ranches because there are both economic and social benefits for everyone, including herders.”Osinbajo said apart from states that had gazetted grazing areas, 13 states had agreed to allocate 5,000 hectares of land for ranching or livestock production.source:http://punchng.com/herdsmen-to-pay-for-grazing-reserves-says-osinbajo-state-community-police-will-end-killings-vp/Don’t forget to comment if you found this post interesting.All questions will be answered in less than 24hrs.You can also follow me on any of my social media handles: instagram, twitter and snapchat- madu_321

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