The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), on Sunday, July 21, applauded President Bola Tinubu for creating the ministry of livestock development.
President of MACBAN, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, who gave the commendation while briefing reporters in Abuja said the creation of the ministry would unlock the trillion-naira livestock economy.
He also said that the ministry would create qualitative and productive jobs across the livestock value chain to improve the Nigerian economy.
Othman-Ngelzarma said: “With this development, MACBAN believes, the hope of the Nigerian pastoralists is now achieved under the Renew Hope Agenda.
“The promise made by President Tinubu, to raise the productive capacity of Nigerian agriculture to ensure food security is being fulfilled.
“We as an association had for years been agitating tooth and nail to actualize the creation of a stand-alone ministry to modernize livestock production system in line with global best practices,” he said.
He pledged support to the Federal Government to turn livestock production into a foreign exchange earner and reduce the farmer/ herder conflicts and its related security challenges.
MACBAN expressed displeasure that it is mischievous and petty for educated and enlightened people to peddle falsehood by saying that the government created a Ministry where veterinary doctors, drug manufacturers, feed producers’ butcheries, transporters and a whopping over 20 million People earn a living across this spectrum of professions to reduce it to a single ethnic group affair.
According to him, Nigerian pastoralists appreciate this historic development, adding that they would reciprocate the gesture.
He said: “We welcome the creation of this very important ministry that contributes 10 percent of GDP to Nigeria’s non-oil sector and 30 percent of Agricultural GDP.
“We salute the president for creating a ministry for an industry that currently employs over 20 million Nigerians and which has the potential of unlocking millions of additional quality jobs at a time when Nigeria is beset by high levels of graduate and youth unemployment.
“The livestock sector is currently valued at over N33 trillion and with the envisaged new investments, it’s estimated to grow to over 75 trillion in a few years to come.
“Like the newly created Blue economy, a renewed livestock production system will save Nigeria billions of dollars in foreign exchange from the importation of powdered milk and other livestock products as the country will also be positioned to earn Billions of dollars in the export of leather, beef and other livestock-related value chain products. As it is today, it’s a sector that employs Nigerians cutting across tribes and religions, some as butchers, transporters, tax collectors, dairy/beef producers etc.
“After all, when we talk of livestock, it goes beyond cows. We are talking of pigs, goats, sheep, fish, donkeys, camels etc and therefore we are highly disappointed by the comments of some very educated people in several interviews granted in the media equating the creation of the ministry to the Ruga project of the last administration and insinuating that it is a Fulani thing and also as an attempt to take other people’s land by force to resettle pastoralist.
“These myopic commentators are so entrenched in anti- Fulani sentiment that they fail to see the bigger picture and the opportunities open to veterinarians, animal scientists, beef and dairy processors, range managers, investment bankers.”
The association went further: “For instance, the Sokoto red skin goat leather is the most valuable and most expensive leather in the world, the Gucci and Armani bags are a good testament to this. Nigeria earns about $1.2 billion annually for the export of hide and skin.
“It’s therefore projected that Nigeria will earn more than ten times what it earns now in foreign exchange. By 2050 when the Nigerian population will be about 402 million the nutritional needs must also increase alongside the population growth. In line with this, enhancing livestock production can substantially increase the protein requirements which can best be achieved under a dedicated Ministry.
“We believe the creation of a ministry like this, issues of tagging of animals, profiling the pastoralists by creating databases, transportation, management of migration routes and peacebuilding aspects will be better handled.”
MACBAN said Nigeria must learn from global best practices adding that countries like Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand had successfully leveraged dedicated agricultural and livestock Ministries to transform their economies.
Othman-Ngelzarma said: “We must learn from them and tailor it to suit our unique context ensuring sustainable growth and development. At this juncture, we want to appeal to the media to create awareness at all levels that will promote cohesiveness and opportunities that are prevalent in this sector.
“I wish to reiterate and commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this laudable initiative. To the critics, I urge them to lay down arms and stop being narrow and parochial in their thinking. They should widen up their good sense of reasoning to look at the larger picture of what the establishment of this wonderful Ministry can do as a strategic move by President Tinubu’s Administration to realise the potential involved in the Livestock sub-sector for economic diversification and growth, creating employment, addressing food security and adaptation of global best practices for enhanced GDP.
It will be recalled that President Tinubu weeks ago announced the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development.
The president made the declaration during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the committee, announced Prof. Attahiru Jega as the deputy or Co-chair of the committee.
Present at the inauguration were Vice-President Kashim Shettima; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, among others.
