The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) is clapping for President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the creation of a new Ministry of Livestock Development. The association, which is one of the groups that will be directly impacted by the new ministry says it is the fulfilment of a lifetime dream. It has, therefore, thrown its weight behind the president’s decision.
MACBAN’s president, Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, who hailed the move, described it as the right step toward unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s ‘trillion-naira’ livestock economy.
A statement released on Tuesday in Abuja, quoted Othman-Ngelzarma as saying that the new ministry would create jobs across the livestock value chain as well as boost the Nigerian economy.
The Miyetti Allah leader, who said pastoralists in the country have now been well accommodated under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, said, “We as an association had for years been agitating tooth and nail to actualise the creation of a stand-alone ministry to modernise livestock production system in line with global best practices.”
Othman-Ngelzarma pledged MACBAN’s support to the Federal Government in transforming livestock production into a foreign exchange earner and reducing farmer-herder conflicts.
President Tinubu announced the creation of the new ministry during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee at the State House in Abuja. Tinubu chairs the committee and will be supported by Professor Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in his capacity as the deputy chairman.
The resolution of the herders-farmers conflict is not the only issue on the plate for the new ministry. The president expects it to look into the challenges of animal feed production and veterinary services. President Tinubu believes that the new ministry will further boost the economy of the country.
The event which held earlier on Tuesday was witnessed by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the president.
A major problem that has hindered food production in the country is the incessant clashes between farmers and criminal herders, a situation that has led to the death of scores of people and the destruction of properties. If the government succeds in curbing the activities of the criminal herders, it is believed, food production will take an upward swing. What that will also translate to is that food prices will crash, and many Nigerians will be able to afford healthy and nutritious food.
These steps are believed to douse the tension in the country where some people are already planning a mass action against hunger.