National Economic Council (NEC) on Wednesday constituted a committee on livestock development to expedite the implementation of livestock production policies in Nigeria.
Chairman of NEC, Vice President Kashim Shettima, declared that a practical, enduring, and nationally accepted solution to the farmer-herder crisis will guarantee food security in the country.
The NEC committee on Livestock Development, which was constituted during the 155th virtual meeting of the council, according to a release issued by Media Assistant to the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, will work in collaboration with other stakeholders.
The committee has one member representing each of the six geo-political zones, comprising Bauchi for North-east, Niger for North-central, Ondo for South-west, Imo for South-east, Cross River for South-south region, and Kebbi for North-west.
Other members of the committee include the Ministers of Livestock Development; Agriculture and Food Security; and Budget and Economic Planning; as well as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness (Office of the Vice President).
The council directed the committee to, among other things, review the recommendations of the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee and the proposal of Ministry of Livestock Development as well as identify interested states for the implementation of the programme.
President Bola Tinubu had at the Federal Executive Council meeting on December 10 directed NEC to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock Development, to come up with a roadmap for the transformation of Nigeria`s livestock industry.
The ministry worked on the proposal, which was presented at the meeting for NEC’s endorsement, in the bid to transform Nigeria’s livestock sector into a modern, peaceful, and profitable engine of national development.
Earlier, in his opening address, the chairman of NEC, Shettima, stated that while food security was a moral obligation to the citizens, it could only be guaranteed by practical, enduring, and nationally accepted solutions to the farmer-herder crisis.
He said, “We must acknowledge with absolute regret the deep distrust created by this violence, born out of a trade and an ancestral practice that ought to have remained a central pillar of our food security and rural economy. The loss of lives, the destruction of homes, and the devastation of farmlands must end.
“We cannot perform a task as fundamental as feeding ourselves unless we find an enduring, practical, and nationally accepted solution to the farmer herder crisis. Food security is a moral obligation to our people.”
Shettima identified mismanagement of long-standing tensions between farmers and herders as the cause of “the conflicts that have strained the ancestral bonds of communities across Nigeria”.
He regretted that what started “as a challenge of coexistence gradually hardened into cycles of violence that were allowed to persist for far too long without a durable solution.
“Today, that violence respects no geography. It has become a shared nightmare that has scarred every region, disrupted livelihoods, and eroded trust between neighbours who once relied on one another for survival.”
He commended Tinubu’s bold initiative to transform livestock production in Nigeria, especially integrating the sector as a key component of the national economy.
The vice president urged state governors to take seriously the presentations on livestock development by the Ministry of Livestock Development and the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee (PLRC), particularly leveraging opportunities in the sector for economic transformation, conflict resolution, and restoration of peace in parts of the country.
Shettima stated that it was in acknowledgement of the huge potential and opportunities in the sector that Tinubu created a separate ministry for livestock development in Nigeria.
He assured that the recommendations of PLRC and Ministry of Livestock Development would be given priority attention by the Tinubu administration, even as he sought the support of sub-nationals to fully harness the vast opportunities in the sector.
Shettima stated, “The presentations before us today offer critical insight into responses designed to confront these realities. They speak directly to the challenge of stabilising our food systems, restoring confidence in rural economies, and reducing the security pressures that flow from competition over land, water, and livelihoods.
“At their core, these presentations seek to dispel the false choice between agriculture and security by demonstrating that both are inseparable pillars of national stability.”
Deji Elumoye
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