By Michael Agbaji
Participants at the public hearing on the proposed bill on slaughtering of donkey sponsored by Sen. Yahaya Abdullah have asked the federal government to strengthen the law instead of outright ban.
The Stakeholder in public hearing of Agricultural bill at the Senate, Mr. Chidebe Sunday Nnabuike. Chairma/CEO, EMMALEX Global ltd,. National made they disclosed while speaking to news men at a one day Public hearing on eight bills for the agriculture sector.
According to him, “the proposed ban of donkey slaughtering in Nigeria will result in loss of businesses, investments and also create unemployment for over three million Nigerians”
It also sought to declare donkeys as an endangered specie which as a result of indiscriminate slaughtering for the purpose of harvesting its skin, has greatly depleted the national herd of the animal.
According to Nnabuike outright ban on slaughtering of donkey was not a solution to the envisaged extinction of donkeys in Nigeria.
He said,We should know that outright blanket ban as proposed by this bill will create some powerful smuggling syndicates who are bent in getting the donkey derivatives for export to China thereby sabotaging the economy.
“The blanket ban on donkey killing and export of its derivatives as a result of morbid fear of its extinction has failed to realise that regulation, ranching and breeding is the solution.
“Cows which we slaughter more than 50,000 on daily basis as meat has not gone into extinction, so how can a donkey with the same gestation period as cow go into extinction. We should encourage breeding and ranching,”he said.
Nnabuike further said that the dealers had invested heavily over the years and have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) for the breeding and production of five million donkeys within a space of 10 years.
He said that donkey regulation, breeding and ranching policy would create millions of job opportunities starting from donkey farmers, traders, slaughter house, logistics and export.
Each of these segments is very important in revenue generation into our economy by way of taxation and levy collections right from the Local Governments to the states and to the Federal Government.
” It is projected that donkey businesses if properly regulated, is capable of injecting N10 bllion annually to our economy”He added.
Nnabuike therefore urged the Senate to consider the plight of over three million Nigerians that would be out of jobs and businesses if the bill was allowed to pass
“The major beneficiary in this trade is the donkey breeding merchants in China with a profit of 293 million dollars in 2016 to the detriment of the rural people of Africa and Caribbean”.Hon.Dattti said.
Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Enagi said the public hearing was designed to receive inputs from stakeholders and the general public with a bid to come up with relevant legislations that would promote agriculture in Nigeria.
The Public hearing was organised by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development chaired by Sen. Bima Enagi.
The bill is entitled: “Donkey Slaughter Regulation and Export Certification Bill, 2020 was sponsored by Sen. Yahyah Abdullahi
