By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Abuja

An eminent Nigerian and research expert has disclosed that Nigeria has only 104 grazing reserves across the country, saying that almost all the officially gazetted reserves are in the northern part.

The expert who prefers anonymous stated in his findings that “as for the gazetted grazing reserves in question, there are only 140 which I have listed.”

He added: “Although there are some were never officially gazetted, I have excluded them from this post because the focus is on the officially gazetted ones.”

Based on a report domicile in a research site since 1989, he said: “Do you know that in the entire south, it is only Oyo state that has 2 gazetted cattle routes/reserves?

“The rest don’t have.”

The report shows the breakdown of distribution of the officially gazetted cattle routes in Nigeria as follows: There are 104 gazetted grazing reserves; (Adamawa-31, Bauchi-27; Borno-15; Gombe-4; Jigawa-2; Kaduna-2; Kebbi-1; Kogi-1; Kwara-1; Nasarawa-7; Niger-2; Plateau-1; Sokoto-8; Taraba-9; Yobe-17;; Zamfara-6; FCT-4 and Oyo-2.)

In the report, according to the expert, the committee recommended the adoption of a more sedentary method of cattle rearing or ranching as part of the solutions to the problems of open grazing of cattle in the country.

The recommendations target resolutions that are beneficial to both the pastoralists and farmers.

He said it was doubtful if President Buhari realised the distribution of the officially gazetted reserves because he would not have declared his administration’s agenda of reclaiming the reserves.

This revelation is coming as more Nigerians join the swelling rank of experts, legal professionals and academia to counter President Buhari on his claim of gazzetted grazing reserves and resolve to pursue the reclaiming of these reserves.

Prominent among those with contrary position is Senator Ajibola Basiru, representing Osun Central Senatorial District.

Basiru said that President Buhari lacked legal and constitutional powers to revive the old grazing routes, anywhere in the country.

Basiru, although spokesman for the Senate, said he was speaking not in official capacity, he spoke as an informed Nigerian with sound knowledge in constitutional law.

According to Basiru who holds a doctoral degree in Property Law, the issue of grazing routes is not known to the Nigerian constitution, stressing that Buhari does not have any power to direct the implementation of any law that is alien to the country’s legal books.

The Senator pointed out that already the Land Use Act, which is recognized by the Nigerian constitution had rubbished the grazing routes gazette which Buhari was referring to. Basiru added that the so-called grazing routes gazette was a product of a decree promulgated in the northern Nigeria in the 1960s.

He said it was only governors of northern Nigeria that could individually make laws to identify grazing routes “because the gazette, which Buhari referred to, had become obsolete.”

He said: “Nigerians should be concerned over whether the Nigerian President is actually getting the correct legal advice from his Attorney General and the legal team.

“As far as I am concerned, as a legal practitioner, there is nothing like grazing routes or grazing reserve law in the laws of the Federation of Nigeria. There is nothing like that.

“I have painstakingly looked at the laws of the Federation of Nigeria and I did not see a copy of any law that is called federal grazing law or grazing Act or any other title relating to the issue.

“I am aware there is a northern Nigerian law on reserve and grazing routes which was promulgated by a 1964 decree by the premier of the defunct northern Nigeria region.

“It is not a federal law unless the legal adviser to Mr President is equating a northern Nigeria law, which is not applicable in the West, Mid-West and Eastern regions or anywhere in the southern part of Nigeria, to be a federal or a Nigerian law.

“The President does not have the power to implement the law because it is not a federal law.

“The grazing routes law is not a National Assembly law, so there is nothing for the President to implement.

“It is regrettable that the President has not been properly advised by his Attorney General and the legal team.

“If anybody will implement any law, it is the states where those routes are applicable that could do so.

“Grazing routes law is not applicable in any state in the southern Nigeria. The southern Nigeria has its own law on cattle.

“It is unfortunate when we have a situation whereby the president of Nigeria is being misadvised by his legal and policy team, for whatever reason it is.

“Even by allocation of power, under the Nigerian legislation, the National Assembly and by virtue of that, the President does not have power to anything about grazing routes.

“This is because the management of land in the entire territory of the state, by Section One of the Land Use Act, is vested in the governor.”

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