The House of Representatives is determined to prevent donkeys from going into extinction in the country.
Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, made the pledge at the launch of a world report on donkeys organised by the Donkey Sanctuary, a UK based organisation on Thursday in Abuja.
The speaker, represented by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Mohammed Mongonu, appreciated Donkey Sanctuary for choosing Nigeria to launch the report.
He said that it showed the commitment of the organisation to the survival of donkeys in the country.
The parliamentarian said that the green chambers had taken cognisance of the indiscriminate killing of donkeys and exportation of its body parts.
Gbajabiamila said that the House had passed a bill to prohibit the act with a jail term of about 10 years to serve as deterrent.
According to him, the penalty will save the donkeys from going into extinction in the country because of its socioeconomic importance.
The speaker said that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowered the House to pass laws to either prohibit or encourage importation or exportation of commodities.
Gbajabiamila said that some members of the House were members of the ECOWAS parliament and that they would be sensitised to make it a regional law.
He said: “We will do all it takes to make sure donkeys do not go into extinction in Nigeria because of its sociocultural importance.
“The House will study the report and adopt key recommendations for implementation,” Gbajabiamila said.
In his remarks, the sponsor of the bill, Hon. Garba Datti said that the House was the voice of the voiceless including the donkeys.
Datti said that when he moved the motion, he knew little or nothing about the activities of the Donkey Sanctuary.
He said he moved the motion by the poor handling of the animal of burden saying that he was an accident animal freedom fighter.
The lawmaker said that clauses one and two of the bill prohibited the killing of donkeys, purchase and exportation of its body parts.
Datti said that clause four of the bill proposed 10 year jail term for offenders and where cooperate organisation or association was guilty, the Chief Executive would be held liable.
The legislator explained that the bill will be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence and then be forwarded to the President for assent.
Earlier, the Chief Executives Officer of Donkey Sanctuary, Mike Baker, said that the world was faced with a crisis according to an independent research; 4.8 million donkeys skin are exported to China every year.
According to Baker, within five years, that will require over half of the world’s population of donkeys.
He said that the current rate could lead to making donkeys a thing of the past in few years to come.
Baker said if that happen, it could lead to hardship and increased labour in areas where donkeys are used to carry goods and services.
Speaking on the report, Baker said that it contained the horrific details of donkeys and their welfare.
Baker said that in some cases many Donkey die while being transported in overcrowded Lorries and the survivals got various degrees of injuries.
He said that they were held in pens without food or water, saying that it was cheaper when the animal dies in that situation than in slaughter house.
Baker said that the choice for Nigeria to host the launch was because the country was leading the way against the trade of donkeys.
He said that was also based on the fact that the country had suffered from the spread of diseases.
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