Reforms are in order. But there is no need for a new ministry The Presidential Livestock Reform Committee recently submitted its report to President Bola Tinubu, declaring that the most viable solution to the farmer-herder crisis in the country is a combination of both ranching and open grazing. “You cannot wake up tomorrow and have only ranching because there is already a large portion of the population involved in traditional pastoral activities,” said the committee’s co-chairman, Attahiru Jega.
The committee suggested a 10-year implementation timeline to achieve incremental positive changes in the livestock sector. Expectedly, the committee also recommended the creation of a Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, which incidentally will add to the cost of governance. Nigeria’s farmer-herder crisis, more pronounced in the North-Central region, has persisted for over two decades, claiming thousands of lives since 2001.
Desert encroachment in the north has forced nomadic herders to move southwards in search of greener pastures for their cattle, resulting in fierce competition for resources with farmers. Thus, modernising the livestock sector is key to resolving the herder-farmer violence, which often threatens the country’s political stability and food security. While inaugurating the committee last July President Tinubu announced that its work should lead to increased meat and dairy production and reduce the violence between herders and farmers across the state.