Farmer/herder clashes: NEC approves livestock plan, moves to attract N2tr

The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday approved the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) to address the clashes between farmers and herders in the country.

The approval followed the consideration and approval of a memo presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh during the NEC, presided over by Vice President,  Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting that lasted for about two hours, Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, said the development plan would attracts N2trillion into the country’s livestock sector.

Bagudu said the council approved the plan in recognition of the importance of livestock, as an economic activity.

He said the plan was designed to create the basis for leading agric business to emerge from the livestock sector, as in the farming sector.

“NLTP has been backed up with the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government approval since 2005, because whatever we are doing in the livestock sector must incorporate the ECOWAS protocol, otherwise whatever success  that is recorded in Nigeria can be complicated by the ECOWAS arrangement that we are part of.

“NLTP, is about creating condition to launch the peaceful transformation of the Nigerian livestock ecosystem to add at least N2trillion to the economy, ” he said.

The governor said the current policies and strategic intention at both national and state levels to improve livestock production have been hampered by many obstacles.

He listed the obstacles to include; limited knowledge of Nigerian livestock asset by size, locations, water and insecurity.

“The approach is to invest in the livestock sector to provide ranches, mitigating the escalating crisis between pastoralists and farmers.

“The strategy would be supported by the development of an implementation plan which Mr. President had already approved, that provides a guiding framework to states for implementing NLTP which will be implemented in phases,” he said.