President Bola Tinubu has been recommended to establish a dedicated ministry for livestock to address the persistent conflicts between herders and farmers and to modernize and enhance livestock production in Nigeria.
The National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Umar Ganduje, made this announcement during a press briefing after leading the committee on Livestock Reforms in presenting its report to President Tinubu at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Ganduje said that President Tinubu is ready to take action on these recommendations, underlining the commitment to resolving issues related to livestock in the country.
He explained that the report stemmed from the urgent need to reform and advance the livestock industry while finding solutions to long-standing conflicts between herders and farmers in Nigeria.
He stated: “The low productivity of the sector has made Nigeria an import-dependent economy, draining scarce foreign reserves used for importing dairy, meat, and other livestock products.
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“Similarly, the conflicts are resulting in killings of citizens and loss of livelihoods, further affecting peaceful coexistence in the country.
“With increasing populations, ecological changes such as soil erosion and degradation of grazing areas, and changing climates, adopting innovative crops and livestock production practises is no longer a luxury but an essential investment that this people-centred administration under your leadership needs to vigorously pursue.
“There have been repeated attempts to develop the livestock industry with varying levels of failure and success.
“The adoption of improved production practises that will increase productivity and help the cattle owners to permanently settle has been abysmal due to many factors such as inadequate planning and funding of programmes, weak extension services, as well as other cultural, economic, and technological barriers.
“The persistence of these problems has allowed unhealthy competition and acrimony to grow among farmers and herders, resulting in violent conflicts across the country.”
Drawing from his experience as the Governor of Kano State, Ganduje said his administration had actively promoted the modernization of livestock production while strengthening local authorities to manage relationships and resolve conflicts amicably.
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He added: “For this reason, Kano State remained among the most peaceful States in the country throughout our 8 years of governance.
“It is these and other related experiences that this Committee reviewed and analysed, while also drawing from varied experiences across the World to come out with practical recommendations for reforming the livestock industry at the national level.”