The Chairman of the Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, has declared that only a modernised, holistic national reform agenda, hinged on robust public-private partnerships, would discourage constant farmer-herder conflicts.

Delivering lecture at the University of Ilorin’s annual distinguished personality lecture, organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, on Sunday, Jega hinted that his committee, in its desperate moves to finding a lasting solution to livestock reform, suggested to the President, National Livestock Industrial Zones to be established across the six geo-political regions.

“These zones would be anchored by export-certified abattoirs meeting European Union and ECOWAS standards, dairy processing clusters powered by renewable energy, cold chains, and integrated leather industrial parks geared towards value-added manufacturing,” he stated.

According to Jega, whose Sub-theme lecture was “Strategic Reforms for Nigeria’s Livestock Sector: Addressing Farmer-Herder Conflicts, Modernising Production and Unlocking Economic Potentials,” the measure would also ensure the creation of several million jobs and increase the nation’s revenue generation.

He, however, warned that such clustering is not only efficient in reducing post-harvest losses—which currently account for over 30 per cent in meat and dairy—but also serves as a magnet for domestic and foreign investment, citing Ethiopia’s Bishoftu Industrial Park as a tested model from which Nigeria can draw significant lessons.

He added that the urgent need for land-use reform and conflict resolution must be incorporated into the livestock reformation bid, noting that the implementation of a National Ranching Corridor System would require the delineation of GIS-mapped grazing reserves equipped with essential water infrastructure, as well as the issuance of long-term pastoralist title deeds under the proposed National Livestock Transformation Law.

Jega further canvassed the institutionalisation of community conflict resolution units to be co-managed by traditional authorities, “Such a framework is projected to reduce farmer-herder clashes by up to 70 per cent within five years, drawing from the successful precedent set by Botswana’s Tribal Grazing Lands Policy,” he pointed out.

He also suggested “feed and fodder” security as critical to enhancing livestock productivity.

He said: “The launch of a nationwide initiative titled Operation Feed Abundance would prioritise the expansion of soya- and maize-based feed mills in strategic feed-producing states such as Niger, Benue, and Kaduna.

“This would be complemented by the establishment of irrigated fodder belts along the nation’s major river basins—including the Benue, Niger, and Sokoto-Rima—and the imposition of smart import substitution tariffs to encourage local feed production.
“With feed accounting for nearly 70 per cent of total livestock production costs, this intervention is essential to improving margins and sustainability, particularly for small and medium-scale producers,” he said.

Alongside all his suggestions, Jega noted that the simultaneous genetic revolution, anchored in animal health innovation, must be given great consideration.
“Nigeria must design and activate an export acceleration policy. Special Livestock Export Zones should be designated in key transit and production cities such as Kano, Jos, and Lagos.

“These zones would feature Halal and Kosher certification centres, ECOWAS-compliant quarantine facilities, and duty-free access to critical inputs for export-oriented producers.

“This strategy is expected to reverse Nigeria’s dependency on $1.5 billion worth of dairy imports annually and position the country to capture at least 15 per cent of West Africa’s meat trade by 2030,” he said.

He also wanted the creation of regional livestock gene banks as a platform for the large-scale deployment of artificial insemination laboratories to increase milk yields from the current one litre per cow per day to about 10 litres.

Jega was certain that by 2030, “with the effective implementation of President Tinubu Livestock Reforms initiatives, Nigeria would realistically eliminate open grazing as the dominant mode of cattle production, thereby reducing farmer-herder conflicts by up to 70 per cent, restoring communal harmony and reclaiming thousands of lives and livelihoods lost to violence.

“We would Double national livestock productivity, not merely through scale but through smarter systems—improved genetics, affordable feed, structured veterinary care and digitized market linkages, create at least five million dignified, inclusive jobs across meat, dairy, leather, logistics and biogas industries—particularly for youth and women in rural and peri-urban communities.

“Then we would reverse economic leakages by significantly reducing the nation’s dependence on imported dairy and animal-based proteins, as well as animal feeds, thereby saving foreign exchange, stimulating local enterprise and strengthening national food sovereignty. Position Nigeria as a regional powerhouse in livestock innovation and trade, taking full advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and ECOWAS livestock corridors,” he listed.

In her welcome address, the Dean of the Social Sciences faculty, Prof. Adedoyin Jolade Omeda, stated that the topic for this year, ‘The political economy of livestock development in Nigeria: challenges and prospects,’ was informed by the rising economic and security challenges.

She described Jega as a bridge between academia and transformative public service.
Also, in his opening remarks, the UNILORIN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wahab Egbewole, through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Professor Fawole Adisa, said the topic for this year’s personality lecture was the school’s declarative support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying: “Professor Attahiru Jega is the best choice for the topic.”