The Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and co-chaired by Professor Attahiru Jega, submitted its 154-page report last month. The comprehensive and exhaustive report has provided a roadmap for the emancipation of the livestock sector.
Over the years, the sector had remained underdeveloped and that created a fertile ground for conflicts and criminality that have engulfed Nigeria for about a decade now. The contents and recommendations of the committee are the culmination of all the efforts of governments since 2012, to crack the difficult nut of how to enhance harmony between crop and livestock farmers in Nigeria.
The cardinal task of the committee was how Nigeria could effectively create a ministry of livestock development, an idea that has been peddled as one of the solutions to the frustration in the sector. Though experts in the industry had argued that livestock is a subsector in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and should not be accorded a special status, it is not a hidden fact that the livestock sector had been relegated and ignored, at a time government invested a lot of resources in crop production. Nigeria’s pastoralists had been left to their fate, to fight for their individual and collective survival.
In their various outcries, livestock farmers had complained about the lack of support from government, both in the care for their livestock and their personal welfare. The presidential committee’s report provides the way forward for the sector, and we throw our weight behind the noble task accomplished by the team.
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The committee identified 28 mandates for the impending Ministry of Livestock Development. Some of the tasks include, formulation and implementation of livestock policies and programmes; development of grazing reserves, ranches, pastoral welfare, and conflict mitigation; development of livestock sector infrastructure, farms, ranches, slaughterhouses, processing facilities, data, and security; enhancement of national livestock enterprise, productivity, profitability, and efficiency; promotion of public and private sector investments in livestock development; development of efficient national veterinary and animal health management services; and promotion of livestock industry standard and products quality assurance.
From the report, it is clear that the ministry will be responsible for not only cattle. It will be responsible for the development of other livestock like goats, poultry, ducks, sheep, pigs, etc. Though subsistence farmers in Nigeria have demonstrated enthusiasm in growing the sector, it is clear that the lack of leadership and support from government has retarded their efforts. Available data shows that Nigeria does not rank high in the production of these livestock in Africa, not to talk about belonging to the club of major producers at the global level. In beef production, Botswana is the leader in Africa, while Brazil is the major producer in the world. Ethiopia is far ahead of Nigeria in dairy production in Africa; at the global level India holds the number one position. In poultry, South Africa is the leading country in Africa, while the United States is the world leader; even in sheep production, Nigeria is not the top producer. Ethiopia is the top producer in Africa, while China leads the world.
Looking at the mandate earmarked, the Ministry of Livestock Development has its multiple tasks cut out for it. For instance, if the country’s grazing reserves are developed in the context of the current competition for land, the conflict between farmers and herders will be drastically reduced. Also, the idea of ranches is debated every day, but without a proper policy framework it cannot be implemented. It is not hidden that most of the cattle being herded by pastoralists are owned by Nigerians who have the capital to establish ranches. But they have failed to do so, hiding under the excuse that the environment for doing so did not exist. But if a proper framework for their establishment and regulation are put in place the excuses will fizzle out. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has failed to provide the leadership and oversight that would compel them to do so. It is envisaged that a framework for creating ranches, either as public or private enterprise will emerge under the new arrangement. The idea of engaging veterinary doctors and the monitoring of the processing of animals for human consumption is also very critical in the country today. If President Tinubu could create a ministry for the steel sector which was under the ministry of solid minerals, there can be no genuine argument against a ministry for livestock development.
The ball is, therefore, now in the court of the president, who should complete the race by creating the ministry. There have been arguments against the establishment of the institution in recent weeks. Some have argued that livestock is a private enterprise which should not enjoy the kind of support recommended by the presidential committee. However, it is clear that the sector is not just a business enterprise. Setting up the Ministry of Livestock Development is like killing many birds with one stone. It will be a step towards tackling the existential security problems in rural communities in Nigeria. It will provide the opportunity for professionals in the livestock sector to practice what they have learned. It will ensure the development of the sector to a competitive level. It will boost the welfare of Nigerians who invest the sector. The president must not be derailed from completing this noble project.
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