Following the inaugurated the Renewed Hope livestock reform implementation committee at the State House, Abuja, President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of Ministry of Livestock Development.
The committee is mandated to provide sector-focused solutions to address the age-long farmers-herders crisis.
It could be recalled that on September 14, 2023, the National Livestock Reforms Committee recommended that Tinubu create a “Ministry of Livestock Resources” to, among other things, reduce the decades-long conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders in the country.
Chairman of the All-Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after he led the committee in an audience with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
The move formed part of the 21 recommendations captured in a document submitted to the President to enhance the Federal Government’s holistic response to the lingering cases of bloodshed.
The document spelt details of the proposed solutions where the committee advocated a reform agenda examining conflict mitigation and resource management.
Ganduje, who explained the complexity of the challenge at the time, said that the government’s approach must address the four kinds of herders: those who settle at home, nomadic herdsmen traversing the country, those from neighbouring West African countries as well as those who have settled among certain ethnic tribes and indigenized.
He lamented the sector’s low productivity, saying it made Nigeria import-dependent, draining scarce foreign reserves for importing dairy, meat, and other livestock products.
Similarly, Ganduje argued that the conflicts are resulting in killings of citizens and loss of livelihoods, further affecting peaceful coexistence in the country.
He noted that the committee also recommended a funding source, including inflows from international organisations, the private sector, and the government.