The Emir of Muri in Taraba state, Dr Abbas Njidda Tafida has unequivocally berated the Federal Government for not paying desired attention to issues affecting the production of the required number of animals that can complement the economic growth and development of the country.
The Emir lamented that 90 per cent of cattle, sheep and goats are in the hands of migrant Fulani herders in Nigeria whose literacy level is at the tail end of the national average.
The Emir who was speaking at the 11th Annual Meeting /Conference of the Animal Science Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Institute of Animal Science (ASAN-NIAS), held at the Zaranda Hotel in Bauchi, said that he has been making efforts for the past five years to bring into Nigeria, the Brazilian cows but to no avail due to unfavourable conditions in the country.
He also said that less than 20% of the herders have the basic education necessary for managerial skill development adding that there is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to be able to change the narratives positively.
According to him, “It is almost impossible to convince them to make long time investments that are necessary to establish pasture and develop pasture processing systems”.
The Emir who noted that the first point of science which is mainly observation assessment and problem-solving, expressed optimism that at the end of the Conference, the participants would work hard to determine the best course of action that can serve the national interest.
He however insisted that “those in leadership positions today are spending too much time on meetings, empty boasting and other unproductive indulgences instead of spending time observing problems that can be easily seen, consulting professionals and well-intentioned to identify problems and proffer solutions”.
The Emir stressed that “Our animal production sector in agriculture is the biggest victim of this error of leadership.
We cannot continue to have our cows exposed to the risk of diseases, we cannot continue to produce one litre of milk per cow when others are getting 40 litres per day, we cannot continue to import milk into the country, we cannot fail to produce when we have 30 unemployed youths”.
“How did we find ourselves in this? The answer is clear, it is caused by the failure of our leaders to pay attention to issues at stake at each point in time”, Dr Tafida observed.
Speaking further, the Emir asserted that the easiest way to improve all aspects of life in Nigeria in the area of animal production is for all the citizens to become animal scientists.
Dr Tafida observed that the tool and tasks of the scientist are intelligent and patient observations, coupled with an honest effort to develop the most useful reactions to facts gathered.
“The bases of my address today is- that every Science person should be able to observe nature and make useful recommendations, everybody, therefore, should make effort to be a scientist at his own level and that’s the scientist I am”, he said.
The Emir who said that the conference which has its main theme; ‘Animal Production in Nigeria, Current Status and Way Forward’, noted that currently, animal production status in Nigeria is the worst evidence of the country’s economic failure as a nation.
The monarch said a situation where Nigerian cows are giving less than 1 litter of milk per cow on average, while the world average is 10 litters per cow in a day, calls for concerns of all.
He lamented that the weight gain of sheep and goats in the country is 50 grams per day against a maximum of 250 grams per day in well-fed breeds.
Dr Tafida said Nigeria imports the equivalent of 500 million litres of milk in powder annually, describing Nigeria as the highest importer of milk powder in the world.
While lamenting that Nigeria has virtually no functional veterinary health control in abattoirs and slaughterhouses, Dr Tafida noted that the issues that need to be analysed in the country’s animal production status include, feed, health, Livestock breeding, Livestock management, government control and leadership.
According to him, in order to boost animal production, land should be doubled, and there should be the introduction and development of irrigation skills.
He added that water management skills should be developed, including the provision of simple earth dams and boreholes as well as the introduction of more productive pasture and fodders trees.
The ideal pastures according to the Emir include Super Nappier, Paradoa, BRS Quenya, and Bracheria SABA. Fodder trees are Gliricidia, Dagasaste, Leucanea and Sesbania Dwaff high-density mangoes.
He said that the factors facing feed production include in Nigeria include, land shortage, land degradation and in some cases desert encroachment, and inadequate or total absence of pasture development.
The Emir of Muri decried that there is virtually no control in livestock movement as cows are sold for both meat and breeding at the same venue.
The Emir who said farmers and herders generally take cattle they suspect to be sick to the market, decried that people looking for breeding animals buy them without any form of certification, a situation he said is catastrophic.
While calling on the federal government to develop a national policy on livestock, the monarch said livestock breeding strategy should be put in place to improve productivity.
“The ministry of agriculture should drop old rules and address issues of National development”, he added.
During the Conference, a total of 141 new members were inducted into the Association for the year 2022.
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