Tinubu creates Ministry of Livestock development
President Bola Tinubu has established the Ministry of Livestock Development. The creation of this ministry was announced during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, which aims to address the farmers-herders crisis.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) had previously urged the president to create a dedicated ministry for livestock. Alhaji Baba Usman Ngelzarma, the MACBAN president, made this request last month, stating that pastoralists were seeking a comprehensive ministry for livestock.
Ngelzarma argued that a dedicated ministry could address the entire livestock value chain holistically, rather than the National Assembly’s current efforts to create a bill for Animal Husbandry or Ranching. He emphasized that ranching is only one aspect of livestock and suggested that a ministry dedicated to livestock could effectively handle production, processing, marketing, transportation, and security issues related to the livestock sector.
‘‘The entire livestock value chain issues can be addressed holistically rather than what is going on now at the National Assembly, working to create a bill for Animal Husbandry or Ranching. Ranching is just an aspect of livestock instead of going for ranching why can’t the president create a pool-blown ministry for livestock so that all the value chain related to livestock issues can be addressed holistically by that ministry?
‘‘Issues of production, processing, marketing, transportation even security related issues can be addressed if there is a ministry dedicated for that purpose,’’ Ngelzarma had said.
