No Grazing Reserve Commission Bill - Abaribe

Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe (PDP- Abia) has called on the Committee on Rules and Business of the Senate to clarify issues on the existence of a Grazing Reserve Commission bill in the assembly.

Abaribe made the call at plenary on Thursday under a point of order.

He said he had sought clarification from the clerk of the Senate and confirmed that there was no such bill contrary to reports in the media.

Abaribe said he had received so many calls on the issue and had been accused by some of his constituents of being an absentee senator when he said the bill was not before the Senate.

"I have gotten more than 1,000 calls and this has to do with something called the Grazing Reserved Commission Bill.

"When I asked where is the information coming from, they said the information is coming from the social media.

"Mr President the last time a Grazing Reserve Commission Bill came to this Senate was in the 7th Senate and was proposed by Sen. (Zainab) Kure who is no longer in the Senate.

"So the reason why I am making this personal explanation is so that my constituents in Abia South will know that there is no such bill called Grazing Reserve Commission Bill before this Senate.

"I have taken time to ask the clerk and every other person to say where is this bill that has passed second reading and they said they also are in confusion, they have never seen such thing,” he said.

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, who was presiding at the time, noted the observation of the senator.

Saraki later left for the Code of Conduct Tribunal for continuation of his trial and the Deputy President, Chief Ike Ekwerenmadu, took over proceedings.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the online media have been awash with reports that a Grazing Reserve Bill is before the Senate and has passed second reading.

According to the reports, the bill seeks to establish a commission which will take land in any part of Nigeria for use as grazing reserve.