Tinubu approves the creation of Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to address herdsmen menace

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of a new Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and at addressing the agonising problem of nomadic Fulani cattle herdsmen and ending the incessant attacks on farming communities across the country.

Over recent years, Nigeria has been plagued with the menace of heavily armed Fulani cattle herdsmen attacking local farming communities as disputes over grazing rights have led to clashes. In response to farmers objecting to livestock destroying their crops, the herdsmen, equipped with AK47s have been known to lay waste to villages, leaving hundreds dead, which has led to several state governments introducing anti-grazing laws.

In response, in 2021, the Southern Governors Forum reached a consensus to ban open grazing, compelling all cattle rearers and pastoralists to operate from ranches. After that declaration, the  main Fulani herdsmen's body the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Macban) accepted the principle of ranching but up until now, the federal government has not introduced any initiatives to implement the policy.

Earlier today, however, President Tinubu inaugurated the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee at the State House in Abuja. This committee is mandated to provide sector-focused solutions to address the age-long farmers-herders crisis, with the ultimate goal of establishing a ministry.

On September 14, 2023, the National Livestock Reforms Committee recommended that President Tinubu create a Ministry of Livestock Resources to, among other deliverables, reduce the decades-long gory conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders nationwide. Former Kano State governor and chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje,  was a member of the committee and led it to a meeting with President Tinubu to submit its report.

Their recommendations formed part of 21 recommendations submitted to the president to enhance the federal government’s holistic response to the lingering herdsmen saga. Their document spelt out details of the proposed solutions where the committee advocated a reform agenda examining conflict mitigation and resource management.

It read: “This agenda should include the establishment and resuscitation of grazing reserves as suggested by many experts and well-meaning Nigerians and other methods of land utilisation. Create the Ministry of Livestock Resources in line with practice in many other West African countries. In the alternative, federal and state governments should expand the scope of existing departments of livestock production to address the broader needs of the industry.”

Governor Ganduje, who explained the complexity of the challenge at the time, said that the government’s approach must address the four kinds of herders. Those who settle at home, nomadic herdsmen traversing the country, those from neighbouring West African countries as well as those who have settled among certain ethnic tribes and indigenised.

He lamented the sector’s low productivity, saying it made Nigeria import-dependent, draining scarce foreign reserves for importing dairy, meat and other livestock products. Similarly, Governor Ganduje argued that the conflicts are resulting in killings of citizens and the loss of livelihoods, further affecting peaceful coexistence in the country.