President Bola Tinubu has taken a decisive step forward by approving the establishment of a groundbreaking Ministry of Livestock Development. This bold move marks a significant shift towards resolving the enduring conflict between farmers and herders.
In a historic event at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday, President Tinubu inaugurated the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee.
This committee is entrusted with the monumental task of devising innovative, sector-specific strategies to end the age-old farmers-herders crisis. With this initiative, President Tinubu has ignited a beacon of hope, promising a future where peace and prosperity reign in Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
On September 14, 2023, the National Livestock Reforms Committee urged President Tinubu to establish a “Ministry of Livestock Resources”, to ultimately alleviate the long-standing, brutal conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders across the nation.
Former Kano State Governor and All Progressives Congress Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, passionately revealed this to State House Correspondents just after leading the committee to meet the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
This was one of 21 powerful recommendations detailed in a document submitted to the President, aimed at amplifying the Federal Government’s comprehensive and urgent response to the relentless bloodshed.
The document laid out bold and transformative solutions, with the committee fervently advocating for a reform agenda that scrutinizes conflict mitigation and resource management.
“This agenda should include the establishment and resuscitation of grazing reserves as suggested by many experts and well-meaning Nigerians and other methods of land utilisation.
“Create the Ministry of Livestock Resources in line with practice in many other West African countries. In the alternative, Federal and State Governments should expand the scope of existing Departments of Livestock Production to address the broader needs of the industry,” it read.
Ganduje, emphasizing the grave complexity of the issue, stated that the government’s strategy must encompass the four distinct types of herders: those settled at home, the nomadic herdsmen roaming the nation, those from neighbouring West African countries, and those integrated with certain ethnic tribes.
He passionately decried the sector’s dismal productivity, highlighting how it renders Nigeria dependent on imports, bleeding the country’s precious foreign reserves for dairy, meat, and other livestock products.
Furthermore, Ganduje forcefully argued that these conflicts are leading to the tragic killing of citizens and the devastating loss of livelihoods, severely undermining peaceful coexistence in the nation.
Read also: Kwara state university expels 175 students for various offenses
“The Report grew out of the urgent need to reform and develop the livestock industry and to provide solutions to the age-long conflicts between herders and farmers in Nigeria.
“But to find the solution to achieve the desired goals, you’ll need a strong institution.
“We recommended the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock and subsequent agencies so that various aspects of the recommendations will have appropriate institutions for implementation,” the APC helmsman explained 10 months ago.
He passionately emphasized that the committee fervently urged for diverse funding streams, calling upon the generous support of international organizations, the robust involvement of the private sector, and the unwavering commitment of the government.
