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Tag: Enugu Assembly

  • Enugu Assembly passes public ranch agency bill to end farmers/herders crisis

    Enugu Assembly passes public ranch agency bill to end farmers/herders crisis

    The Enugu State House of Assembly has passed the Public Ranch Agency Bill which authorises the state government to set up an agency to manage both government and privately owned ranches in the state.

    Speaking before the passage of the bill, the member representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency II, Clifford Obe, argued that the legislation would end the farmers/ herders crisis in the state.

    Obe said the farmers/herders crisis was responsible for the low agricultural output in the market.

    According to him, many farmers have been driven out of their farms, which has increased crime and rural/ urban migration

    Obe said: “The bill will help people not to be afraid. It will make it a must for herders to register whenever they enter any community. It will reduce crime and how cattle mess up our city and rural communities because there would be an agency on the ground to guide the herders.

    “Above all, the state government would be able to collect tax from the herders, who before now didn’t pay any tax.”

    Also contributing, Okechukwu Aneke, representing Udi South Constituency, noted that there is no need for people to be afraid of the bill, adding that herders are not only Fulani.

    Aneke stressed that the herders have come to stay, urging the people to learn how to co-exist with them, as the herders have come to stay.

    The lawmaker reiterated that the bill wants to control the herders, adding that those invading and attacking communities in the state are not real herders.

    Aneke said: “This agency when established, will have a designated area where the cattle and their herders will be stationed. Any herder, who is found in our bush and not in the designated place, should be treated as an intruder and a kidnapper.”

    Another lawmaker, Chima Obieze, regretted that people condemning the bill are arguing about what they don’t know, saying there is nothing on the bill for people to shout about.

    Obieze asked the public not to discourage people from other parts of the country from coming to Enugu to do business.

    Read Also: Enugu Assembly passes bill for parties to fund council poll

    While stressing that the mostly nomadic herders should come to the state, pointing out however that they must operate following extant laws.

    Harrison Ogara, who represents Igboeze South state constituency, while noting that the bill would guarantee peace between farmers and herders, asked the executive arm of the government to be strategic in its implementation.

    In his remark, the Speaker, Chief Uche Ugwu, assured the people of the state that the assembly would not pass a bill capable of truncating the peace in the state.

  • Enugu Assembly passes bill for parties to fund council poll

    Enugu Assembly passes bill for parties to fund council poll

    Enugu State House of Assembly has passed the 2024 Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) amendment bill.

    The bill, when signed into law by Governor Peter Mbah, will make it mandatory for parties to pay money to the state election commission to enable them partake in the local government election.

    Leading the debate on it, the Minority Leader of the house, Iloabuchi Aniagu, said sections five, seven and 10 of the ENSIEC Law were amended to conform to reality.

    He said the amended Section 7 makes it compulsory for parties to pay for local government election.

    Aniagu said this would make the state government not to solely finance local elections, as the government had limited resources to undertake such expenses.

    He said the bill also set the age of a prospective ENSIEC chairperson to fall between 30 and 75, noting that this would give youths the opportunity to participate in the electoral system of the state.

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    Okey Mbah, representing Nkanu East State Constituency, said the amendment of the bill is to ensure the electoral body conducts credible elections.

    He said the ENSIEC chairperson will be mandated to resign if she or he wants to contest in an election, three months before the primary election.

    However, Harrison Ogara, representing Igbo-Eze South State Constituency, disagreed with the provision that made it mandatory for parties to partly fund the conduct of local elections.

    He said Section 7 was in contravention of the 2022 Electoral Act and as such should be scraped, adding that it was improper to ask parties to pay money before participating in any election.

    The lawmaker said the controversial section would be challenged in court by aggrieved individuals or political parties.

    He requested that the state election commission adopt and use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the next election, for transparency.

    Responding to Ogara’s request, Speaker Uche Ugwu said the state government does not have funds to deploy BVAS in the next local government election.

    He hoped that the amended sections would be for the good of the residents.

    The assembly adjourned its plenary till February 20.

  • Enugu Assembly passes bill for parties to fund council poll

    Enugu Assembly passes bill for parties to fund council poll

    The Enugu House of Assembly has passed the 2024 Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) amendment bill.

    The bill, when signed into law by Governor Peter Mbah, would make it mandatory for political parties to pay money to the State election commission to take part in the local elections.

    Leading the debate on it, the Minority Leader of the House, Iloabuchi Aniagu, informed sections five, seven, and 10 of the ENSIEC Law were amended to conform to reality.

    Aniagu noted that the amended Section 7 makes it compulsory for political parties to pay for the Local Government elections.

    According to him, this would make the State Government not solely finance local elections, as the government has limited resources to undertake such expenses.

    The Minority Leader added that the bill also sets the age of a prospective ENSIEC chairperson to fall between 30 and 75 years, arguing that this would give young people the opportunity to participate in the electoral system of the state.

    Okey Mbah, representing Nkanu East State Constituency, said the amendment of the bill was to ensure that the electoral body conducts credible elections.

    Read Also: Enugu Assembly approves governor’s N58b supplementary budget

    Mbah pointed out that the ENSIEC chairperson would now be mandated to resign from the office, if she or he wants to contest in an election, three months before the primary election.

    However, Harrison Ogara, representing Igbo-Eze South State Constituency, disagreed with the provision that makes it mandatory for political parties to partly fund the conduct of local elections in the state.

    Ogara noted that Section 7 was in contravention of the 2022 Electoral Act and as such should be scraped, adding that it is improper to ask political parties to pay money before participating in any election.

    The lawmaker said the controversial section would be challenged in court by aggrieved individuals or political parties.

    Ogara requested that the state election commission adopt and use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the next election, for the sake of transparency.

    In his response, Speaker Uche Ugwu said the state government does not have funds to deploy BVAS for the next local elections.

    Ugwu expressed the hope that the amended sections would be for the good of the residents of the state.The House thereafter adjourned its plenary to 20 February.