Laolu Akande, a former aide to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says with some policies already in place, Nigeria may not need a Ministry of Livestock Development.
President Bola Tinubu approved the formation of the Ministry of Livestock Development on Tuesday as part of efforts to reduce the perennial farmers-herders confrontations.
But Akande said though a lack of will and expertise are hindering the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NTLP), the country may not need another ministry for livestock.
“I am not sure that we need a ministry [of livestock],” Akande said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“Based on what is available to me now, I am not entirely certain that we would need a ministry to do this [curb farmers-herders clashes]. But let’s wait for more details.”
Nigeria has been locked in decades-long clashes between herders and farmers. The tussle over access to land, pasture, and water has exacerbated the crisis, leading to the loss of lives and properties
Previous governments and some state governments have introduced several measures including the NLTP and a ban on open grazing to address it.
But Akande believes if the NLTP introduced by the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari is implemented, it will transform the livestock industry in Nigeria and end the clashes.
“The National Livestock Transformation Plan, if it is effectively implemented, is going to solve the problem of the farmer-herder clashes and is going to modernise the livestock industry in our country,” he said.
‘Funding’ Concerns
A development consultant Jide Ojo who was also featured on the programme, questioned the creation of the ministry, saying funding may be an issue.
“If the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development will solve this crisis [herders-farmers], so be it. But I am just worried about funding,” he said.
He argued that the new ministry may create a conflict of interest with the already existing Ministry of Agriculture.