Senate Supports Bill To Create Database For Livestock

This bill is aimed at solving the problem of animal identification as well as Management by creating national livestock barrier.

On Tuesday, April 20 2021, at the plenary section, a bill sponsored by Bima Enagi, APC Niger South passed its second reading. This bill is to create a national livestock and management bureau for the purpose of livestock registration, identification, traceability, disease control, cattle rustling control amongst others. Mr Enagi stated expressly that livestock identification is supposed to include information on animal's origin (sex, birthplace, parentage, breed, genetics and so on). 

He noted that one will be able to trace an animal products in the marketing chain to its source. This bill, he reasoned,will reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases. This bill passed its second reading and has been referred to the Senate committee on agriculture and rural development to carry out further legislative work and public hearing. They are to report back to the red chambers in four weeks time. 

For a country that has been trying to register its citizen and assign a National Identification Number for years unsuccessfully, this bill is highly irrelevant and uncalled for at this point. 

Up till this moment, you need to see the throng of people that assemble daily at the NIMC centres for registration and more than half of them return home without completing their registration. Most centers now charge a fee to get people registered. Some centers charge 1500 to 5000 naira before they agree to get people registered as citizens of their country. 

This challenge has convinently escaped the notice of our cso-called lawmakers as they do not deemed it fit to address the problem. Rather, they wish to pass a bill for the database for all livestock in the country. The recurring problem of the killer herdsmen, the constant conflict between herdsmen and farmers has been left to chance.

 It is beyond comprehension why nomadic farming is still the order of the day at this time and age in a country that prides itself as the Giant of Africa. It is a shame!!! Our leaders clearly place the lives of animals above the lives of the people they claim to serve and protect.

Clearly the priorities of our leaders are misplaced and it can be rightly inferred that they don't know what the next course of action should be. At this point, it is safe to say that our leaders are clueless and they would run this country into the ground if something is not done soon. 

A similar bill to this ridiculous one was deliberated upon in the 8th assembly but it was not passed into a low. Omoluabi Center for Development Initiative calls upon the well-meaning citizens of this country to arise and take a stand against haphazard and clueless leadership.