$1.5b spent on dairy imports due to livestock sector neglect, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday decried the long neglect of the livestock sector by past administrations, declaring his preparedness to collaborate with stakeholders to give it all it needs to bring value to Nigeria.

This came after he announced a substantive minister for the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development at Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ consultative workshop held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Tinubu described the livestock sector as critical to the country’s development, contributing much to the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing decent jobs.

He said the long neglect has weighed on the country’s import bill, with between $1.2 and $1.5 billion being spent to import dairy food.

He said, “The long-term neglect of the livestock sector has weighed heavily on the country’s import bills, with milk and dairy products accounting for $1.2-1.5 billion.

“The livestock sector is a very important sector; we’re going to give it all it needs to bring value to our country. I assure you that you will not regret the collaboration and the investment coming into this sector.”

Tinubu, who decried the neglect of the livestock sector by past administrations, assured of his readiness to partner with other stakeholders to exploit the inherent opportunities that abound across its value chain and make it a thriving commercialised industry similar to what obtains in other developing countries.

He said, “Investors are already asking questions; how will we collaborate? The committee, the ministry, and I will do everything possible to attract them. We can create a vivid picture of the future we want to see, the future of our country.

“It’s about time that we did it right. A country of over 200 million people cannot serve our children one pint of milk in the classroom per day. We didn’t see the investment opportunities; we didn’t see the economy in the past. Now we’ve seen it; we must work together to realise the dream.”

President Tinubu commended the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee, which he said worked tirelessly on the blueprint aimed at transforming the livestock sector.

“Our shared vision is clear: we aim to transform the livestock sector from its current subsistence model into a thriving commercialised industry, like other developing countries.

“Yes, we can do it; we can bring prosperity to our people, and we can feed our children. From grass, we can achieve grace. We can contribute so much to the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provide decent jobs.

“We didn’t see the cold room investment; we didn’t see that opportunity before now, but it’s coming. We are going to give it all it takes; I assure you we will succeed together.

“Let’s unite in our effort, from reform to the realisation of our dream and ambition. I stand before you fully committed to this,” President Tinubu assured.

Tinubu also acknowledged Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for nurturing the idea of reforming the livestock sector, Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA), and Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, for their commitment to realising the dream.

“We can create a vivid picture of the future we want to see; it’s the future of our country. The economic opportunities for our children, and with that effort, we can say God bless Nigeria,” he stated.

The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, assured of the “100 per cent buy-in of the subnational to make the reform a success because it is not just food security but national security.”

Abdulrazaq applauded President Tinubu for leading the initiative by chairing the implementation committee, regretting that past efforts in the same direction were reduced to files in the Ministries of Agriculture in states and local councils due to a lack of political will.

Continuing, Abdulrazaq stressed that “this is not just about food security; it’s also about national security.”

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He added: “We’ve had several programmes before, like the Ruga programme and the National Livestock Transformation Programme. We’ve not achieved anything with them; they’re just files in the Ministry of Agriculture.

“What we are doing here today is laying the foundation for a better future for us in the state and the local governments.

“That’s where the land is. We have to make efforts to make land available to make the federal government’s policy a success for us in Kwara. What we have done is we’ve seen that over the years, herdsmen roam across our countryside.”

Referring to herdsmen, Governor Abdulrazaq said, “They’ve been there for hundreds of years but never at any moment sought to seek a certificate of occupancy. So they believe, rightfully to their beliefs, that land and water belong to God.

“So, they’re not interested in your C of O or right of O. But this is where we need to start changing and educating them to say you should have a C of O in pursuing and deepening that effort. We worked with the French treasury, the French government, who funded free of charge a sustainable ranching project, which will be based on a ranch that predates back to the First Republic.”

He said each state should create a segment for livestock farming and extend the value chain to meat and dairy production.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, commended the President for his “bold action, exemplary leadership, and unparalleled commitment to livestock reform.”

Kyari assured of working with the Ministry of Livestock Development to realise the president’s vision to diversify the economy and empower more Nigerians.

Earlier, Co-Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Attahiru Jega, disclosed that unlocking the potentials in the long-neglected livestock sector across its value chain and reforming and improving its entire ecosystem would be immensely beneficial to virtually everybody throughout the country in terms of new business opportunities.

He said it will also lead to the generation of employment and incomes, especially for the country’s teeming youths, contribute to food and nutrition security, and provide a remarkable value addition to our country’s GDP.

“Significantly, reforming the sector would also help to mitigate the perennial conflicts between farmers and herders, which have bedevilled the sector, with negative consequences for community relations and beneficial productive activities,” he added.

He said the objective of the two-day consultative workshop is to obtain additional input to the reform process and buy-in from a range of critical stakeholders drawn from the Nigerian livestock value chain and ecosystem.

Jega further explained that engagement with critical stakeholders would be a continuous process, as all hands need to be on deck to ensure a well-considered reform process and its seamless and successful implementation.