BY GODWIN OBI
The Lagos State House of Assembly, says the Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill, when passed, will ensure harmonious relationships between herders and farmers in the state.
The assembly made this known after the bill was read on the floor of the house for the second time, by the Acting Clerk, Mr Olalekan Onafeko, at plenary on Monday.
It said the bill would also protect the environment of the state and the SouthWest zone.
The house also read for the first and second time, the state’s Value Added Tax (VAT) bill, and asked the Committee on Finance, which was handling it to report back on Thursday.
Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, who described the Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill’ as timely, thereafter committed the bill to the Committee on Agriculture for public hearing.
The speaker also suggested that the bill should make provision for the registration of herders, and prepare them for ranching.
He said: “Allocating parcel of land is not enough, but there should also be training for those who will go into ranching, as ranching is expensive and requires adequate preparation.”
Concerning the VAT bill, he said it would further lead to increase in revenue and infrastructural development.
” This is in line with fiscal federalism that we have been talking about,” he said.
Obasa said the VAT law, when passed, would help the state meet challenges in its various sectors.
He also urged the Lagos state government to do everything legally possible, to ensure the judgment of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, was sustained even up to the Supreme Court.
The speaker lamented a situation where about N500 billion would be generated from the state,, while N300 billion was generated from other Southwest states, but paltry amounts would be disbursed to Lagos state in return.
Obasa said it was an opportunity for the state to emphasise again, the need for the consideration of true federalism.
Speaking earlier on the bill on open grazing, Mr Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho 1), lamented that farmers had continuously become afraid to visit their farms, thus causing shortage of food.
Yusuff also said many farmers had become indebted, as they now found it difficult to pay back loans they secured.
His position was supported by Mr Kehinde Joseph (Alimosho 2), who noted that the bill would ensure peaceful coexistence, reduce crime and help to guide activities of herders.
On his part, Mr Olumoh Lukeman (Ajeromi-Ifelodun 1), suggested that the high court should be made to handle cases from enforcement of the bill when passed, or that the state should establish special courts for such purpose.
Also, Mr Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 1), expressed support for the bill, noting that it would give a level of security to the state and help reduce economic losses.
He added that Lagos had 250 hectares of land in Ikorodu and another 750 hectares in Epe for ranching.
Mr David Setonji (Badagry 2), said: “There was a time we went on oversight function in a school here in Lagos.
“We were embarrassed by cattle. We had to wait for the herder to move the cattle before we embarked on our oversight function.”
Setonji suggested a collaboration between men of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps and the Police, in the implementation of the law when passed and assented to.
Other lawmakers who contributed during plenary were Mr Adedamola Kasunmu, Mr Rasheed Makinde and Mr Sanni Okanlawon.
In the meantime, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says all is set to insure the state workforce under its group life and group personal accident package policies.
Sanwo-Olu, represented by the State Commissioner for Finance, Mr Rabiu Olowo, said this on Monday, at the ongoing African Insurance Organisations (AIO) Conference and Annual General Assembly in Lagos.
The theme of the ongoing conference is: ‘Rebuilding Africa’s Economy: An Insurance Perspective.’
He said that the state government had put in place several emergency response agencies following increasing growth, to safeguard the lives of its over 22 million population.
The governor said that the state government had gone into partnership with over 150 insurance brokers.
Sanwo-Olu said the broking firms would serve as intermediaries to over 20 insurance companies, who would provide end to end risk management services for all classes of insurance in the state.
“The EndSars protest was a test and we are grateful to the insurers for taking responsibility, as this proves that insurance is working in Nigeria.
“Lagos cannot afford to shy away from the services of the insurance sector, this is why we have continued to partner with various insurance bodies,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu said the state was also partnering associations to enlighten its people on the benefits of insurance and mitigating losses that might result from unforseen occurrences.
The governor assured of the state government’s commitment to work closely with the insurance sector in its quest to rebuild a resilient and 21st century economy.
Sanwo-Olu urged Nigerians to embrace insurance and buy insurance products to mitigate losses that might result from unforseen occurrences.
The Frontline reports that over 600 local and foreign delegates of insurance sector across Africa physically attended the conference, while other participants joined visually.
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