Herders crisis: Tinubu receives Ganduje committee’s proposal for livestock ministry

President Bola Tinubu has received a recommendation to establish a ministry of livestock as part of efforts to tame herders/farmers clashes, as well as modernise and improve livestock production in the country.

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, announced this while briefing newsmen after he led the committee on Livestock Reforms to present its report to the President in Abuja, yesterday.

Ganduje revealed Tinubu’s disposition to act on the recommendations to quickly address the lingering problems associated with livestock in the country.

According to him, the report is fallout of the urgent need to reform and develop the livestock industry in the country and to provide solutions to the age-long conflicts between herders and farmers.

He said: “Low productivity of the sector has made Nigeria an import-dependent economy draining scarce foreign reserves for importation of dairy, meat and other livestock products. Also, the conflict is 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 practices is no longer luxury, but an essential investment that this people-centred administration under your leadership needs to vigorously pursue.”

The former governor of Kano State said there had been repeated attempts to develop the livestock industry with varying levels of failures and successes.

He added: “The adoption of improved production practices to increase productivity and help the cattle owners to permanently settle had been abysmal due to many factors such as inadequate planning and funding of programmes, weak extension services as well as 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.”