The Federal Government has finalised plans to establish modern ranching settlements in six major farmers-herders conflict hotspots and rehabilitate 417 grazing reserves nationwide as part of a fresh strategy to curb recurring clashes.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this on Tuesday evening after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on his ministry’s activities and implementation of the National Ranching Policy.
Maiha identified Adamawa, Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as priority areas for the intervention because of their history of farmers-herders conflicts.
He said the government had identified 417 grazing reserves across the country and commenced a pilot scheme in Plateau State, which would serve as proof of concept for a new livestock production model intended to reduce cattle movement and address one of the major triggers of rural conflicts.
The minister said the government was also intensifying consultations with pastoral communities, with about 34 organisations already engaged as part of efforts to secure support for the transition from nomadic livestock production to ranching.
According to him, the ministry recently met pastoralists led by the Grand Patron of Miyetti Allah and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, with another round of consultations scheduled for the next two weeks.
Maiha said the government’s assessment showed that the traditional practice of moving large herds across the country had become increasingly unsustainable as grazing routes disappeared because of expanding farms, rapid urbanisation, infrastructure development and growing competition for land.
“Large number of cattle on the move is crisis-prone because, number one, the grazing routes have disappeared. Farms, large farms have come up, aggressive urbanisation, demand for land for infrastructure development, so many other things have made nomadism not sustainable,” he said.
The minister explained that nomadism had largely persisted because livestock owners needed to move animals from locations where feed and water were scarce to places where they were available.
He argued that providing those resources within designated livestock settlements would substantially reduce the need for cattle to move across communities and farmland.
“Why don’t you provide these resources in situ and stop these animals from moving? Human beings can move; they don’t cause crisis. It’s the animals’ movement that normally generates this crisis,” Maiha said.
As part of the transition, he said the government was promoting commercial pasture cultivation, allowing grass to be produced within livestock settlements or harvested elsewhere and transported to animals.
Breed improvement would also form part of the programme, enabling pastoralists to maintain smaller but more productive herds and consequently reduce pressure on land while increasing milk and meat production.
Maiha said the proposed ranching settlements would extend beyond simply confining cattle to designated locations.
Under the plan, grazing reserves would be developed into integrated economic communities featuring housing, veterinary clinics, primary schools, primary healthcare facilities, solar power and earth dams to support irrigated pasture cultivation.
The government believes concentrating livestock within properly developed settlements could stimulate investments across the livestock value chain, including milk processing, modular abattoirs and biodigesters.
“At the end of the day, each of those grazing reserves will become an economic hub. Imagine what you are going to have if you have 30,000 head of cattle in one area. The milk collection alone will attract milk processors.
“They will attract modular abattoirs. They will attract biodigesters. They will attract so many things that will come there. That is our concept, and that’s what we have been selling to them,” Maiha said.
The minister said consultations conducted so far had encountered no significant resistance from pastoralists, arguing that there was growing recognition among livestock owners that the traditional nomadic system was becoming unsustainable.
“So far, we have not seen resistance from anybody because the reality on the ground is that nomadism, as it were, is no longer sustainable, and we need a different concept,” he said.
Maiha also disclosed that the government planned to introduce radio frequency identification for livestock, with four-legged animals fitted with ear tags for identification, geolocation and proof of ownership.
According to him, the initiative would support the development of a national livestock database and make it easier to identify and track animals that stray or are stolen through cattle rustling.
He described the livestock identification programme and ranching initiative as part of the non-kinetic measures being deployed by the government to stabilise rural communities and tackle persistent farmers-herders clashes.
Beyond ranching, Maiha said the ministry was pursuing programmes covering modern abattoirs, dairy production, commercial fodder cultivation, veterinary services, vaccine storage infrastructure and poultry production.
At least seven model veterinary clinics have been built, he said, while the government’s longer-term objective is to establish at least one model veterinary hospital in every state and expand veterinary clinics to underserved communities.
The ministry is also developing off-grid cold-chain facilities to ensure animal vaccines can be transported and stored at required temperatures.
Maiha said the government was encouraging investment in modern abattoirs to replace open slaughter facilities, which he described as inadequate from a public health perspective.
Discussions are also underway with local investors and development partners on large-scale dairy projects, while commercial fodder cultivation is being promoted for domestic consumption and export.
According to the minister, the government is considering large-scale importation of hatchable eggs as another intervention to stabilise the poultry industry and reduce waiting periods for day-old chicks.
Maiha said he briefed Tinubu on developments in the ministry since its creation in July 2024 as part of the administration’s strategy to mainstream livestock production into Nigeria’s economy.
He said about 20 states had since established corresponding livestock ministries or agencies, improving prospects for federal-state collaboration, particularly because land administration and much of the country’s livestock resources fall under state jurisdiction.
The minister said Tinubu expressed support for the programmes and demonstrated detailed knowledge of developments in the livestock industry during their meeting.
Quoting the President as saying that “the value chains in the livestock sector are fantastic,” Maiha urged Nigerians and investors to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the industry.
“The President has been very supportive, and we are very grateful for that political support and for the understanding we are getting from Mr President.
“For us, actually, we need not ask for more, but to go back and deliver,” he said.
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
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