NBA, SANs, Oyo Fault Buhari’s Grazing Routes
The Nigerian Bar Association and some Senior Advocates of Nigeria on Thursday said the Federal Government lacked the power to dabble into land matters. While they doubted the existence of any gazette on grazing routes recently referred to by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, they said the Land Use Act overrides it even if it exists. But the NBA spokesman Nduka, said the Federal Government lacked power to dabble into land matters that was within the purview of the state government. He said, “Every lawyer knows that with the Land Use Act,every land belongs to the governor of a state. The governors of the states hold in trust for the people. It is held in trust for the people by the governor of the state. So, why will the Federal Government take it upon itself to be talking about this issue. Cattle rearing is private business, and not a government venture. Anybody who wants to rear cattle should go and buy land, or lease land and do ranching. The impression the Federal Government is trying to create is that some sections of Nigeria are against herdsmen or cattle rearing, but that is not the truth. Everybody has freedom of movement, everybody also has freedom to acquire property, and nobody is stopping them.”
Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), agreed with Nduka that the Land Use Act overrides any gazette. Also, Remi Olatubora (SAN) said the Federal Government could not designate a grazing route where non existed. He said, “Before the passage of the Land Use Act in 1978, different land tenure and land management systems operated in Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria. While the land management law of Northern Nigeria created grazing routes, the land management laws of the Southern states did not. That accounted for the reason why ranching was practised as a system of animal husbandry in the South. Also, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said there was no grazing route in the state. He said, “I am not aware of any grazing route in Oyo State. The Western Region, which gave birth to Oyo State was not known for cattle grazing. Rather the leaders of the Western Region set up farm settlements which had spaces for ranches. So, it is not likely that Oyo State, would have made provisions for grazing routes.”
