President Bola Ahmed Tinubu don tok say im administration go create new ministry wey e call di Ministry of Livestock Development, to tackle di frequent katakata wey dey always happun between herdsmen and farmers across Nigeria and also develop di livestock value chain.
Oga Presido announce dis development for Aso Rock on Tuesday as e dey inaugurate di Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms wey im go chair, and wey di vice chairman or co-chair na Attahiru Jega, former Inec chairman.
Tinubu tok say di ministry go “give us di opportunity so dat our veterinary doctors go get di necessary access to research and cross-breed to stop di wanton killings”.
Farmers and herdsmen katakata for Nigeria na somtin wey don dey happun for many years and plenty pipo don die becos of am.
Di job of di Presidential Committee on Livestock Reforms na to suggest to goment wetin dem suppose do to encourage farmers and herdsmen to dey in peace, grow di economy of Nigeria and improve di security situation.
Sabi pipo for security matters believe say di herdsmen/farmer crises na im start di rising insecurity for di North-western part of Nigeria, wia banditry and kidnapping dey veri high.
But shey di creation of a new ministry go be di solution to di problem?
Solution bin dey already – Laolu Akande
Laolu Akande, former toktok pesin for di former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, tok say Nigeria don already get a National Livestock Transformation Plan wey “so far be di best solution on di table” concerning di matter of farmers/herdsmen clashes.
“Di NLTP try to solve di problem of di modernisation of livestock farming and at di same time try to solve di problem of farmer/herders clashes. Di plan dey developed by state governors under di National Economic Council…and e don dey available since 2019,”
“As to di kwesion of weda e dey necessary to set up a full ministry to implement di plan at a time wen di Tinubu administration imsef bin dey tok about how to merge existing MDAs… I no too dey sure say we go need a ministry to do am,” Akande tok for interview wit Channels TV.
According to Akande, di NLTP “get di support of all di stakeholders wey dey involved: di farmers, di herders, di communities, di traditional rulers and all”, and goment bin spend money to do wide consultations bifor coming up wit di plan.
- Six ways to tackle high cost of food for Nigeria – Tinubu plan to suspend tax on imported brown rice, corn, odas
- ‘Let us breathe, pay us now’ – How SSANU, NASU protest waka across di kontri
- ‘Very, very special player’ – Di 16 years old wey make history for Euro 2024
Ministry of livestock na “great idea” – Miyetti Allah
One former Chairman of di Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Muhammadu Dodo Orjo, tell BBC News Pidgin say if goment go dey serious wit di creation of di Ministry of Livestock Development,” e go be a great idea and a pathway to achieving di goals of peace”.
“In evri kontri of di world, farming and herding dey equally important, but na only for Nigeria na wia goment dey favour only farming,” e tok.
Oga Orjo tok say wetin follow cause di farmer/herdsmen crises na di taking ova of grazing routes wey goment bin create for di kontri for many years wia herders go dey graze dia animal, and also di laws wey some state goments don make to ban open grazing for dia states.
But anoda challenge wey fit come up if goment set up dis new ministry of livestock development na di issue of funding of cost of governance.
Already, di Tinubu Administration get 48 ministers, including two for di ministry of Agriculture.
“If we come get anoda two ministers for dis new Ministry of Livestock development, e go make am 50 ministers, and we gatz begin look for office space, you gatz send staff to dat place and a whole lot of tins,” according to Jide Ojo wey be public affairs analyst.
Oga Ojo also point out say di new ministry no dey captured for di 2024 budget unless goment wan do a supplementary budget to accomodate am.
Di plan to create a Ministry of Livestock Development dey come at di same time wen di Nigeria Senate dey debate on a bill to ban open grazing for di kontri and di bill don already pass second reading.
Open grazing don already dey banned for some states like Benue, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Abia, Oyo and Rivers.
However, for Benue State wia herdsmen and farmers crisis dey veri high, plenty pipo still dey die sake of clashes.
In March dis year, di Benue State goment tok say dem conduct mass burial for 18 pipo wey die for inside herdsmen attack for di Agatu area of di state.
Also, for April, anoda 21 pipo die for similar attacks for Omala local goment area of Kogi state, according to Reuters.
- Benue attacks and wetin authorities dey do
- Wetin Tinubu tok about di Herders-Farmers clash
- Cattle herders crisis – Bayelsa give Fulani herdsmen 14 days quit notice?
