Abuja city with cattle grazing unabated

Public nuisance is an act that interferes with the enjoyment of rights common to all citizens. Cattle trespass onto and destroy private properties like farms or obstruct public highways, with the susceptibility of causing accidents.

Presently, there is no nationwide statute explicitly banning open grazing. The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) frequently relies on laws prohibiting stray animals and city nuisance ordinances to impound cattle and prosecute herdsmen who graze in the city centre. However, Section 31(1) (c) and (e) of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board Act 1997 prohibits and imposes punishment for grazing in nursery sites and destruction of flowers and ornamental plants.

It is the duty of the AEPB to remove nuisance from the streets of the federal capital city, hence the arrests of cattle herders in the city. Not because they want to prevent cattle breeders from rearing cattle in the FCT, but cattle roaming was prohibited, for the safety of the cattle and, above all, safety of the citizens.

The phenomenon of nomadic cattle grazing in the heart of the Abuja city and its surrounding suburbs is proving to be a cankerworm to the city managers. Not because there was no plan or attempts to address the challenge, but because of the indifference accorded to its hazardous consequences by the authorities.

Midway into my second tenure as the Coordinator Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, the issue of cattle grazing in the Abuja City was discussed at the FCT Executive Committee meeting and the responsibility for the extermination of the nuisance was assigned to my office. The minister had cause to ban cattle grazing within the urban area, for the obvious reasons. More so, as the Nigerian capital, the administration has responsibility to the protection of its infrastructure and its image to the outside world.

We formed a committee involving the necessary stakeholders across the various relevant departments in the FCT administration. The fact is that, the herders grazing within the city area are residents in their locations for many years prior to the city’s creation. Many of them were actually born there, by implication they are also original inhabitants, not immigrants. It was the city that met them where they are, not the other way round.

Unfortunately, they have not been adequately captured in the FCT resettlement programme during the survey for the determination of the FCT original inhabitants. Therefore, the solution isn’t far-fetched, it is simply their relocation according the FCT Resettlement policy.

Ab-initio, the Abuja Master Plan made a proposal and earmarked areas for cattle grazing within the FCT. The city development programme recognises cattle grazing in the FCT as important factor in supplying fresh meat to the capital city. The highly seasonal nature of rainfall and grass production cycle induces nomadism in cattle raising. It has been recognised that, to ensure steady supply of meat in the FCT stationary cattle ranching is to be an objective. Accordingly, due to the recognised economic importance of the nomadic community, grazing reserves were earmarked at Kawu, Rubochi, Paikon Kore and Wassa.

It is pertinent to know that, beyond the traditional method of their practice, the nomadic community’s economic value can be greatly improved by the adoption of modern methods. In order to combat the contemporary challenges, the FCTA can partner with some nongovernmental organisations who have developed a ‘zero-grazing’ programme, where pastoral communities will be trained, similar to the grower’s contract with dairy farmers, such that they will not need to travel and fight for land, rather they will be more profitable from the comfort of settling in one place.

Dairy farming is evidently a thriving and profitable business, because of the usefulness of beef and milk. These nomads will never be an economic liability, rather, they will be a huge economic asset. What is required is for the FCTA to provide the land, produce the layout and evacuate the nomads thereof.

The Resettlement Department was put to task by our committee. A comprehensive census of the all herders with their livestock, residing within the city and its surrounding suburbs was carried out. We also sourced and entertained the relevant investors in animal husbandry, dairies and meat production, which promotes the ‘zero grazing’ programme.

Meanwhile, the nomadic community grazing within the city were also very keen in leaving their location, due to the hostility to their source of livelihood. Because anytime any of their cattle is seized by the AEPB while grazing, they have to pay a fine of not less than N100, 000 as a penalty. Fortunately, the nongovernmental organisation with the ‘zero-grazing’ programme met and signed a memorandum of understanding with the FCT nomadic community.

The organisation will grow assorted grasses as feeds that would greatly increase the sizes, and increase the quantity of meat and milk of the nomads’ cattle. They will also be the off-takers of their products, the meat and milk at a much improved economic value than their present meager earnings. They would also provide other incentives as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Having completed the comprehensive census, what is only required was the FCT Administration to relocate the nomads to the earmarked grazing reserves and provide the investor with the land for the growing of the animal feeds. Sadly, the tenure of the administration elapsed while the program was midway to completion.

Three years have now gone and the programme, now domiciled in the Livestock Department of the Agriculture Secretariat, seems abandoned. Otherwise the continuous grazing of cattle in the city that is a source of embarrassment to the city management, casting negative image and prone to highway accidents would since have been a thing of the past.

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