President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of the the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development on Tuesday. He did this when he inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja.
Channels reports that Tinubu’s announcement of the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development is said to be a move expected to end the perennial clashes between pastoralists and farmers.
Miyetti Allah poised to check drug abuse, arms proliferation among herders
End to conflict
Nigeria has been locked in years of conflicts between farmers and herders. But an excited Tinubu believes the creation of the ministry will resolve the lingering impasse.
“Who says the solution is far? I say, ‘No, the solution is here.’ Majority of you have great experience and you want Nigeria to prosper,” he said.
“To enable Nigeria to finally take advantage of livestock farming, we have seen the solution and opportunity for this adversity that has plagued us over the years and I believe the prosperity is here in our hands.
With the move, President Tinubu says Nigeria can now look forward to “maintaining the quality and safety of these perishable goods from farm to market thereby reducing food waste and ensuring a stable supply”.
Following the approval, he said the Federal Government is fully prepared to cover the cost of acquiring lands to ensure the peaceful co-existence of pastoralists and farmers.
While President Tinubu will chair the committee on livestock reforms, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, is the deputy chairman.
The committee is expected to propose recommendations aimed at fostering a peaceful co-existence between herders and farmers, ensuring the security and economic well-being of Nigerians.
Tinubu’s announcement comes 10 months after he approved the establishment of the presidential committee to address herders and farmers’ clashes and bolster livestock and dairy industries.
He set up the committee after receiving a report from the National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts in Nigeria.
The committee, chaired by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, gave President Tinubu 21 recommendations, including creating a Ministry of Livestock Resources.
Access to land, pasture and water
The creation of the ministry is the latest attempt by the Nigerian government to address the decades-long conflict between herders and farmers over access to land, pasture and water.
In the past, previous governments have reeled out a raft of measures including the highly controversial Rural Grazing Area (RUGA). However such moves have failed to address the perennial conflicts between the farmers and pastoralists.
The dispute has claimed hundreds of lives with the recent being in Plateau State where dozens were killed last December.
The violence is often painted as an ethno-religious conflict between Muslim herders and mainly Christian farmers. But climate change and expanding agriculture are also major factors.
Last December’s attack took place in the Mangu area of the North-Central state which is 74km (45 miles) south-east of the state capital, Jos.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), has commended President Bola Tinubu for the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The President of the association, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, who stated this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the creation of the ministry would unlock the trillion naira livestock economy.
He also said that the ministry would create qualitative and productive jobs across the livestock value chain to improve the Nigerian economy.
“With this development, MACBAN believes, the hope of the Nigerian pastoralists is now achieved under the Renew Hope Agenda.
“The promise made by President Tinubu, to raise the productive capacity of the Nigerian agriculture to ensure food security is being fulfilled.
“We as an association had for years been agitating tooth and nail to actulise the creation of a stand-alone ministry to modernise livestock production system in line with global best practices,” he said.
Othman-Ngelzarma pleged support to the federal government to turn livestock production into a foreign exchange earner, and reduce the farmer/ herder conflicts and its related security challenges.
According to him, Nigerian pastoralists appreciate this historic development, adding that they would reciprocate the gesture .
“On behalf of Chairman and members Board of trustees of MACBAN, his Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, and entire members of Cattle Breeders association of Nigeria across the nation heartily congratulate the President and Commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed forces for this wonderful development.”
It will be recalled that President Tinubu on Tuesday announced the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The president made the declaration during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the committee, announced Prof. Attahiru Jega as the deputy or Co-chair of the committee.
“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,” Tinubu said.
Present at the inauguration were Vice-President Kashim Shettima; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, among others.
