Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), has revealed why the ban on open grazing will remain ineffective in the South East.

MACBAN says the ban on open grazing by the South East Governors will remain ineffective until they provide an alternative to grazing for herders.

The Chairman, South East chapter of MACBAN, Gidado Siddiki, said this while responding to a call by a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, on all the states Houses of Assembly in South East to enact anti-grazing law in their respective states.

Siddiki who noted that MACBAN was not opposing the ban on open grazing, insisted that the association needs an alternative as what they have known from inception was open grazing.

“Our position is that we are not opposed to the ban on open grazing, but at least we need an alternative.

“You know when somebody is doing business and you stop him from doing that business, he would be given an alternative on what to do.

“When you say that you have banned open grazing, you need to tell us how we should graze our cows because what we know is grazing. If there is an alternative, there is no problem, and that is the only thing we are begging for.

“If open grazing is bringing problems, let us find ways we can coexist.

“If there is provision for ranching, we can do ranching but I do not think there is provision for ranching in states. Even Benue State that banned open grazing, I don’t think there has been any ranching in Benue State in all these years.

“So, I don’t know if there is provision and that is our own problem” Siddiki said.