After passing second reading, the Lagos State House of Assembly committed the bill on open grazing to the agricultural committee on Monday.
The House also read the state's Value Added Tax bill for the first and second times, and instructed the finance committee to report back on Thursday.
The ‘Prohibition of Open Cattle Grazing Bill,' according to Speaker of the House Mudashiru Obasa, is timely and would maintain peaceful relationships between herders and farmers while also protecting the ecology of the state and the southwest zone.
The bill will include herder registration and preparation for ranching.According to the speaker,allocating parcels of land is not enough, but individuals who want to get into ranching should be trained.
Concerning the VAT bill, Speaker Obasa stated that it will result in an “increase in revenue and rise in infrastructure development.” This is consistent with the fiscal federalism that we have been discussing.”
It was stated by Obasa that if the VAT bill is passed, it will assist the state in meeting issues in numerous areas. He also urged the Lagos State administration to take all necessary steps to ensure that a Federal High Court judgment in Port Harcourt be upheld all the way to the Supreme Court.
He bemoaned a situation in which Lagos State generates 500 billion dollars while other southwest states generate 300 billion dollars and receive pitiful sums in return.“This is an opportunity for us to emphasize the importance of true federalism once more,” he said.
Hon. Bisi Yusuff (Alimosho 1), who spoke earlier on the bill on open grazing, bemoaned the havoc that herdsmen had wreaked in the southwestern zone.
Farmers have become increasingly afraid to visit their farms, resulting in food shortages. He also said that many farmers had become indebted because they were having trouble repaying debts they had taken.
According to Joseph, the bill will maintain peaceful coexistence, minimize crime, and aid in the management of herders' activities.On his part, Olumoh Saad Lukeman (Ajeromi-Ifelodun 1) urged that the high court be assigned to matters arising from the bill's implementation once it is passed, or that the state create special courts for this purpose.