SPOTLIGHTS
- The Enugu State government aims to tap into the ₦50 billion cattle industry
- The Public Ranch Bill seeks to create structured cattle markets, not residential areas
- Mbah acknowledged the need for improved communication with the public regarding the law
By John Ogunsermore
The governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has said that his administration remains committed to providing the necessary structure to tap into the huge revenue potential of the cattle ranching market in the state.
Noting that the cattle market has a ₦50 billion annual turnover, the governor said the Public Ranch Bill passed into law by the Enugu State House of Assembly in May will provide the necessary structure.
The Enugu governor said this in an interview with the *Daily Sun* in his office.
Mbah said the controversy generated by the bill could be attributed to a gap in effectively communicating governance matters to the populace.
Read also: Southeast lands too tiny for grab for Fulani herdsmen ranching, settlement, Intersociety warns Enugu, Abia and Anambra Govs
“In terms of the controversy, I think that again is the issue I pointed out when we talked about challenges of governance – communication, making sure that you distil these things in a manner that the people understand what you want to do.
“And the animal husbandry, the cattle space is a huge business. It’s a business that has a turnover of ₦50 billion annually. It is a subsector that we can structure and get not just people from one part of the country to play in that space.
“We think it is a space that even our business people can play in. For us, what we proposed, or what has actually been passed into law, is proposing that we have a structured way of managing these cattle rather than have them roam around farmlands or indeed our streets.
“So, we are saying, let’s have a ranch which is like a cattle market where you provide abattoirs, feed mills and you have a proper structure of a market.
“And when I say market, it’s a market. Exclusively a market structure. It is not like where people live. And then anybody who is interested has the opportunity to play in it, including our traders.
“So, that is essentially what the law advocates,” the governor said.
