Barely a week after the Livestock, Breeding, Rearing and Marketing Regulation Law 2021, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has inaugurated the state livestock management committee in a bid to tackle open grazing in the state.
Diri, who inaugurated the livestock management committee on Wednesday in Yenagoa, premised the setting up of the committee on the rising cases of insecurity that border on clashes between herdsmen and farmers across the country.
He stated that the essence of the committee is to implement the state Livestock, Breeding, Rearing and Marketing Regulation Law 2021 and that as a state, the government took the precautionary measure to ensure all residents in the state live peacefully irrespective of their tribe.
Bayelsa State has experienced some violence due to the activities of herdsmen in the past and the governor urged all Bayelsans, particularly youths, never to engage in unlawful seizure of any kind, in case anyone contravened the law.
Former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson set up a similar committee while in office and directed that all grazing activities should be confined to the state Oil Palm Estate at Elebele near Yenagoa, but the directive was often flouted by herdsmen.
David Alagoa, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and chairman of the livestock management committee, affirmed that the law would create a peaceful coexistence between herdsmen and famers.
Alagoa also stated that the law would create windows of opportunity that would be of benefit to the state in general.
The livestock management committee has representatives from all the security agencies and eight local government areas of the state as well as the Justice, Agriculture and Environment ministries.
