Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, on Thursday presented a 152-page report to President Bola Tinubu, detailing reform measures for the livestock sector.
Part of the report recommended a ten-year transformation process through which Nigerians and the government can harness gains in the sector.
Prof. Jega was appointed Co-Chairman of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Committee in July this year.
The report also includes operational guidelines for the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, a new ministry created by the Tinubu administration.
The 152-page document also includes recommendations on how best to resolve issues that result in the farmers-herders crisis amicably.
Jega equally recommended that livestock grazing and ranching continue side by side, while the country promotes a long-term objective of having an intensive livestock sector.
Briefing State House correspondents on Thursday, Jega criticized Nigerians who always associate livestock with the farmers-herders crisis, stressing that the sector holds enormous potential for investment opportunities.
A Director and National Project Coordinator of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Winnie Lai-Solarin, said the poultry sector alone holds N1.7 trillion in potential, especially in the value chains.
Recall that while inaugurating the committee, Tinubu insisted that livestock reform had become necessary to open up new opportunities to benefit farmers, herders, processors, and distributors in the livestock-farming value chain.
Tinubu also emphasized that the implementation of the reforms would require the collective efforts of committee members drawn from the public and private sectors, state governors, and others.
He cautioned them to remove every iota of partisan politics from it.
“This is not about politics; this is about opportunity. This is about our nation. While I may be absent, Jega will preside and continue to promote our objectives,” the president stated.
Tinubu also used the opportunity to announce that a Ministry of Livestock Development would be created to further explore the potential in the area.
“When we have great opportunities in our states, why should Nigerians continue to experience conflicts?
“With the calibre of people here, this presents a unique opportunity to delineate and establish a centric ministry called the Ministry of Livestock Development.
“It will give us the opportunity so that our veterinary doctors can have the necessary access to research and cross-breeding. We can stop the wanton killings,” Tinubu said.
He said that the traditional method of livestock farming would need to be reviewed and repositioned with the support of stakeholders, including state governments, to open up new opportunities for growth and prosperity.
