• Warns of looming protein deficit, food insecurity
The Chairman, Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, has declared that only a modernised and holistic national reform agenda, hinged on robust public-private partnership, would discourage constant farmer-herder conflicts.
Delivering a lecture at the University of Ilorin’s yearly distinguished personality lecture, organised by the faculty of Social Sciences yesterday, Jega hinted that his committee, in its desperate moves to finding a lasting solution to livestock reform, suggested to the President for a 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 (EU) 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 Potential,” the measure would also create 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 there is an urgent need for land-use reform and conflict resolution must adorn 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, and the issuance of long-term pastoralist title deeds under the proposed National Livestock Transformation Law.
Jega also raised urgent concerns about Nigeria’s looming protein deficit and worsening food insecurity, calling for immediate reforms to transform the livestock sector.
At the lecture titled “The Political Economy of Livestock Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects,” Jega warned that without strategic investments and proactive planning, Nigeria’s growing population, projected to hit 400 million by 2050, could face severe nutritional and economic challenges.
The lecture, part of the university’s 50th anniversary celebrations, honouring Senator Saliu Mustapha, highlighted the sector’s critical role in national development.
He said: “Demographic shifts and evolving dietary preferences are set to place unprecedented pressure on Nigeria’s livestock systems in the coming decades.”
