ONNA LAWMAKER WANT A’IBOM STATE GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE THE ANTI-GRAZING LAW

The Member representing ONNA State Constituency and Leader of the Akwa State House of Assembly (AKHA), Hon. (Elder) Sunday Johnny, has called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to enforce the Anti Grazing Law that was consented by the immediate past Government of Akwa Ibom State.

The Lawmaker made this call during the Plenary on Tuesday 23rd 2024 on a Motion to Enforce The Anti-Grazing Law

Hon. Sunday Johnny in his Motion expressed worry and disappointment at the activities of the herders in Akwa Ibom State despite a law which prohibited open grazing of cattle in the State.

He observed that the previous Assembly, after an extensive deliberation on the said bill, had on Saturday, 14th September 2021 passed the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into Law and consented by the former Governor on Wednesday, 15th September 2021 with a prescribes of a Ten Million Naira (N10,000.000.00) fine for any offender.

The Lawmaker said that the Law which came into existence to arrest or reduce the perennial farmer-herder crises in the State has yielded no effort.

He, however, noted that early this year, the Member representing Ikot Ekpene/Obot Akara State Constituency, Hon. Jerry Otu, had moved a motion to implement this Law in his constituency due to the damage caused by herdsmen and their cattle in his village in Ikot Ekpene but nothing is yet to be done.

According to the Lawmaker, Governor Umo Eno led administration has done so much through various policy implementations to tackle food crises in the State, including encouraging farmers to return to their farms and if this perennial crises are not nip in the bud, there may be a serious food shortage come next season, he said.

He therefore prayed the House to urge Akwa Ibom State Government to arrest and prosecute anyone that defaults the Anti-Open Grazing Law in the State, while also appealing to the Governor to set up a Special Unit to oversee the enforcement of this Law while

He further asked the Governor to call for a joint meeting with cattle rearer, the Commissioner of Police, and the leadership of Ibom Community Watch to address this menace once and for all.