The Minister for Livestock Development, Idi Muktar, on Friday, February 21, raised hope for the holistic solution to the herders crisis in Nigeria through the adoption of modern practices in animal husbandry and development of the value chain and add $70 billion to Nigeria’s GDP.
He spoke at the second edition of the ministerial press briefing 2025, at the National Press Centre, Abuja where he explained the mission of the livestock Ministry which was created on July 9, 2024.
According to him, the ministry’s Nigeria-Livestock Master Plan (N-LMP) is essentially “a Livestock Value Chain Development pathway, articulating investment plan with detailed investment analysis and a budget (financial and a human resource) that guide the development of a country’s sustainable livestock sector.”
It includes a Strategic Storage Plan, which targets procurement of low-quality grains during the harvest season to cushion off-season scarcity and cost.
A National Feed Reference Laboratory will safeguard feed quality and freedom from contaminants. A Water infrastructure plan is midwifing the Installation of Water points for animal and domestic use. So far, 166 units have been done while up to 300 will be done in 2025, revealed Muktar.
The government would focus on pasture development through the National Pasture Development Programme (NAPDEP) and Gazetted Grazing Reserves Development Programmes, by regrassing depleted grazing spaces and rangelands.
To safeguard animal health, government has procured and distributed 13 million doses of Anthrax Spore Vaccines as support to the Federal Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Service to halt the spread of Anthrax in the country.
Government is increasing vaccine production capacity of the National Veterinary Research Institute from 120 million doses per annum to 850 million doses per annum is currently in progress.
Seven Model Veterinary Hospitals are being built and equipped at Niger, Sokoto, Adamawa, Enugu, Edo and Borno states.
Ten Milk Collection Centres have been built and equipped to stimulate Dairy Value Chain Development, market linkage and reduction in foreign exchange bills. Muktar said 20 more are planned for year 2025.
On Rehabilitation and Establishment of Abattoirs and Slaughter Slabs across the country, Muktar saiɗ 35 units were already fixed while additional 60 are planned for 2025.
Abubakar Eshiokpekha Momoh, minister for Regional Development, and the Minister of State, Uba Maigari Ahmadu also talked about the regional development commissions.
Momoh said the responsibility of the ministry is to coordinates the activities of the regional development commissions. The Niger Delta Ministry was expanded to become the Ministry of Regional Development.
So far, he explained that the activities of the Ministry centred around infrastructural developments by NDDC and Northeast Development Commission. The others are just taking off and presently defending their budgets a the National Assembly. The Ministry would harmonise regional development and ensure even development across the country.
In his welcome address, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained that the briefing session serves as a platform to showcase the achievements of the Tinubu Administration across various sectors of the economy.
He noted that the Ministries of Livestock Development and Regional Development are the latest additions by President Tinubu, established to harness the vast potential of Nigeria’s livestock industry and to drive regional development across the six geo-political zones.
“These two ministries happen to be the newest in the country. The Ministry of Livestock Development was created in July 2024, to transform Nigeria’s multi-billion-dollar livestock potential into actual economic prosperity for Nigerians, while the Ministry of Regional Development was created in October 2024, to oversee the activities of the country’s regional development commissions. These two ministers have since hit the ground running.”
Idris explained that the briefing is government’s accountability programme with the electorate.
Anayochukwu Agbo
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