A new ministry has been approved by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is called the Ministry of Livestock Development.

On Tuesday, July 9, at the State House, in Abuja, he Inaugurated the Renewed Hope livestock reform implementation committee and created the Ministry.

The committee is created to provide solutions to the farmers and herders crisis.

On September 14, 2023, the National Livestock Reforms Committee had suggested that President Tinubu creates a “Ministry of Livestock Resources” to help reduce the years-long conflict between farmers and nomadic cattle herders nationwide.

Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had said this shortly after he and the committee had a meeting with the President, at the Aso Rock Villa, in Abuja.

According to the document which contains the 21 suggestions that has proposed solutions in response to the cases of bloodshed. It reads:

“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,”

Ganduje said that, the Government’s approach towards the case, must address the ,4 kinds of herders which are: the ones who settle at home, the nomadic herdsmen navigating the country, and those from neighbouring West African countries as well as those who have settled among certain ethnic tribes.

He talked about the Livestock sector low productivity, saying due to the conflict, Nigeria has been made import dependent, by importing things that are supposed to be produced within the country.

He said:

“The Report grew out of the urgent need to reform and develop the livestock industry and to provide solutions to the age-long conflicts between herders and farmers in Nigeria.

“But to find the solution to achieve the desired goals, you’ll need a strong institution.”

“We recommended the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock and subsequent agencies so that various aspects of the recommendations will have appropriate institutions for implementation.” He concluded.

He also said that the committee also suggested a funding source, which includes inflows from international organisations, private sector, and the government.