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…Govs Pledge 100% Buy-In, Warn Against Open Grazing
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ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu on Thursday pledged to overhaul the often neglected livestock sector in a bid to cut an annual import bill of $1.5 billion and stimulate economic growth as well as create jobs.
President Tinubu said this as stakeholders in the livestock sector gathered in their numbers at the Nigeria’s seat of power, the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to brainstorm on ways of harnessing its potentials.
Tinubu, who recently created the Livestock Ministry out of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, is championing reforms in the sector, a reason that justified his hosting of the stakeholders forum at the Presidential Villa.
Unbundling his plans for the sector while speaking at a Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop at the State House, Tinubu who doubles as the chairman of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, wondered why Nigeria can’t meet basic nutrition needs, such as providing school children with milk.
“This is a very important sector,” he stated. “We are going to give it all it needs to bring value to our country.”
Criticising Nigeria’s failure to meet basic nutritional needs, particularly in providing school children with milk, he said, “It’s about time that we did it right. A country of over 200 million people cannot serve our children one pint of milk in the classroom per day.”
Tinubu expressed confidence in the collaborative efforts of stakeholders, assuring them, “You will not regret the collaboration and the investment coming into this sector.”
While highlighting the long-neglected livestock industry as a significant opportunity for economic development, he stated, “We can contribute so much to Nigeria’s GDP and provide decent jobs.”
The president, however, acknowledged past oversights in investment opportunities within the sector. “And when I inaugurated the livestock committee, I didn’t see the path clearly until they started working. We will create the environment where the business will thrive.
“It is our duty to our children and future generations to get it right. Let’s unite in our effort. From reform to realisation of our dream. I stand before you fully committed,” he assured.
Regarding his vision for the livestock sector, Tinubu said he aims to transition from a subsistence model to a thriving commercial industry. “Yes, we can do it; we can bring prosperity to our people,” he declared. “From grass, we can achieve grace”, he added.
He also congratulated the newly formed Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, tasked with laying out actionable strategies for the transformation.
Tinubu commended the committee for their efforts and reiterated his administration’s commitment: “There’s no excuse for neglecting this vital sector any longer.”
The Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, while lauding President Tinubu’s recent initiatives aimed at transforming Nigeria’s livestock sector, expressed belief it will enhance food security and mitigate conflicts between herders and farmers.
“I want to thank Mr. President for deepening the effort to achieve food security through livestock reforms,” he stated, emphasising the importance of these initiatives for both food and national security.
AbdulRazaq assured of full support from sub-national governments, saying, “I want to assure you 100% buy-in of sub-nationals to make this a success.”
He reflected on past failures, noting, “We’ve had several policies and programmes before… but they remain files in the Ministry of Agriculture.”
He added that the current efforts aim to lay a foundation for a better future, highlighting the need for land availability: “What we are doing here today is laying the foundation of a better future for us in the state and local governments.”
Addressing the challenges faced by herdsmen, he remarked, “They believe that land and water belong to God… but this is where we need to start changing and educating them.”
He announced plans to issue Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to herdsmen willing to settle in his state, aiming to enhance productivity. “If we make them sedentary, they will begin to produce as much as 15 to 20 litres per day,” he noted.
The governor revealed a partnership of his state with the French government to fund sustainable ranching projects, stating, “We’ve developed a policy where we have sustainable agriculture.”
He urged continued federal engagement, saying, “I’ll urge the president to continue to be hands-on on this programme.”
AbdulRazaq concluded by inviting stakeholders to collaborate further on these initiatives, stressing that resolving herdsmen issues is vital for national stability.
Co-chairman of the committee, Attahiru Jega, stressed the reforms’ potential to improve food security, while also easing long standing conflicts between herders and farmers just as the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum reiterated support for the initiative, urging the adoption of best global practices to modernise the sector.
He explained that the workshop aims to gather input from 350 critical stakeholders to enhance the livestock sector, which has been largely neglected.
According to him, “Unlocking the potentials in the long-neglected livestock sector across its value-chain, and reforming and improving its entire ecosystem, would be immensely beneficial to virtually everybody, everywhere throughout the country, in terms of, among others, new business opportunities, generation of employment and incomes, especially for our teeming youths, contribution to food and nutrition security, and remarkable value addition to our country’s GDP.
“Significantly, reforming the sector would also help to mitigate the perennial conflicts between farmers and herders, which have bedeviled the sector, with negative consequences of community relations and beneficial productive activities.”
