Farmers/herders clashes: NEC okays livestock plan, moves to attract N2trn

The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) aimed at curtailing the incessant clashes between farmers and cattle herders in the country.

The approval came after deliberation on a memo presented by the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh to the council presided over by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, said the development plan would attract N2trillion to the livestock sector.

According to Bagudu, the council approved the plan in recognition of the importance of livestock, as an economic activity.

He said the plan was designed to create the basis for leading agric business to emerge from the livestock sector, as in the farming sector.

ALSO READ: I was afraid I would not live long ― Akande

The governor said: “NLTP has been backed up with the ECOWAS Heads of state and government approval since 2005, because whatever we are doing in the livestock sector must incorporate the ECOWAS protocol, otherwise whatever success that is recorded in Nigeria can be complicated by the ECOWAS arrangement that we are part of.

“NLTP is about creating a condition to launch the peaceful transformation of the Nigerian livestock ecosystem to add at least N2tr to the economy.”

The governor further explained that the current policies and strategic intention at both national and state levels to improve livestock production have been hampered by many obstacles including limited knowledge of Nigerian livestock asset by size, locations, water and insecurity.

He added: “The approach is to invest in the livestock sector to provide ranches, mitigating the escalating crisis between pastoralists and farmers.

“The strategy would be supported by the development of an implementation plan which Mr President had already approved, that provides a guiding framework to states for implementing NLTP which will be implemented in phases.”