The National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission bill was approved by the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday following a contentious discussion.

The measure was intended to govern and regulate the cattle rearing ranching industry nationwide. It was sponsored by Senator Titus Tartenger Zam, a representative from Benue North West.

Outlining the main ideas of the measure, Zam argued that the proposed Commission was necessary to oversee, control, and protect ranches all around the nation.

“Ranch management, preservation, and control are the responsibilities of the proposed National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission,” he declared.

Read Also: Senate Raises Alarm Over National Grid Shutdown by Labour

But senators Danjuma Goje of Gombe and Adamu Aliero of Kebbi fiercely opposed the bill.

Lawmakers and past governors contended that the North had a higher concentration of ranching and cattle rearing than other regions of the nation, and that legislation ought to apply to the entire nation rather than just a particular area.

Cattle trails, according to Goje, start in the far north and finish in Lokoja since “the route does not extend to the South.”

Senator Hussein Babangida Uba of Jigawa North-West made a contribution to the discussion. He urged particular caution in passing the bill because of its history of controversy.

Other senators who backed the bill argued that it should be passed because the proposed Commission would handle the farmers’ and herders’ crisis.

Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, submitted the bill to a voice vote, and it passed.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Judiciary, and Legal Matters was tasked with reviewing it and returning it within a fortnight.