President Bola Tinubu says his government will establish the Ministry of Livestock Development.
He made his intention known during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope livestock Reform Implementation Committee at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Tuesday.
The committee is meant to address the issue of farmers-herders crisis.
“I don’t want us to turn this environment to another talk opportunity, I just want to inaugurate this community to ensure that I am ready. I assure you and the Nigerian public that we need to create this economy, seize this opportunity.”
“These ranches you recommend, and promote, I will work with it. And luckily, we have information and technology minister present too, herds of cows can be identified with chips and be tracked these days. If other technologies is available to us, we are ready to work. As I said from the beginning, with you, all of you, the solution is here and we must run with it.
“The governors are hereby represented, any law that might inhibit the promotion and the actualization of our objective, the Attorney General is here, please give it a priority and budget and economic planning minister is here, find a budget head for it to grow and finance is here as well to work hard for the money. When you have great opportunity as this, why should Nigeria continue in conflict with the caliber of the people that is here?
“This presents a unique opportunity also to delineate and establish a separate ministry called the Ministry of Livestock Development. We will develop the economy, give people the opportunity to excel. Our vet doctors can give us the necessary opportunity to rear, crossbreed and stop the wanton killings, even animal feeds is a huge economy.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby inaugurate, the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee in Nigeria. It is now in your hands, we are ready to work for success of this programme and for the success of the entire nation. So we leave a Nigerian flag without stain to our children. Thank you very much.”
Present at the Inauguration were the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, amongst other cabinet members.
Recall that President Tinubu in September, 2023, approved the establishment of the Presidential Committee dedicated to the reform of the livestock industry and the provision of long-term solutions to recurring clashes between herders and farmers in the country.
This followed the submission of a report from the National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts in Nigeria.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) had tasked the president to create livestock ministry.
Alhaji Baba Usman Ngelzarma, MACBAN president, made the demand last month, saying pastoralists were looking for the creation of a full-blown ministry for livestock.
‘‘The entire livestock value chain issues can be addressed holistically rather than what is going on now at the National Assembly, working to create a bill for Animal Husbandry or Ranching. Ranching is just an aspect of livestock instead of going for ranching why can’t the president create a pool-blown ministry for livestock so that all the value chain related to livestock issues can be addressed holistically by that ministry?
‘‘Issues of production, processing, marketing, transportation even security related issues can be addressed if there is a ministry dedicated for that purpose,’’ Ngelzarma had said.
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