The Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the state’s Value Added Tax (VAT) bill and the bill that prohibits open cattle grazing.
The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, directed the acting Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, to transmit a clean copy to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent.
The two bills were passed after unanimous votes by the lawmakers at the sitting where they were read the third time.
Obasa commended his colleagues for their passion to see that the state continues to grow.
“I thank you all for this historic exercise,” the Speaker said.
The House held separate public hearings on the bills on Wednesday with stakeholders expressing support.
At the parley, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) says its members are not ready for the Lagos ban on open grazing.
The association said a cow could cost up to N2 million in Lagos state if the anti-grazing bill is passed into law in the state.
Zonal Secretary of Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the South West, made the disclosure during the public hearing organised by the state House of Assembly on the anti-open grazing bill on Wednesday.
The PUNCH had reported the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday sent the bill on open grazing to the committee on agriculture after it scaled second reading.
It was entitled, “A bill for a law to Prohibit Open Cattle Grazing In Lagos State, the Trespass of Cattle Land And For Other Connected Purposes”.
During the public hearing, Usman appealed to the state government for assistance, noting that ranching is more expensive than open grazing.
Usman, who agreed that there were some criminally-minded herders, argued that raising a cow in one location could increase the price of a cow to as much as N2 million.
He also pleaded with the government to subsidise the cost of raising the cattle in one location.
“If cattle are bred in one place, the price could go up to about N2 million each. We agreed with some local chiefs in other states that anyone who wants to rear cows in a location should register and should indicate when he is leaving.
“A Fulani man moves from one place to another to ply his trade, but we have some bad eggs that are causing trouble. The government should allow us to talk to our people that they don’t want our cows to destroy people’s farmland.
“We have met with stakeholders in Ekiti, Ondo and even Oyo states and we reached agreements with them,” Usman was quoted as saying this in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House, Mr Eromosele Ebhomele.
