The Daily Asset Newspaper has conferred the Peace Advocate and Minister of the Year 2025 award on the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, in recognition of his leadership in reforming Nigeria’s livestock sector and advancing peace through policy-driven interventions.
The award acknowledges the growing national and institutional recognition of reforms underway at the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, about eighteen months after its creation on July 9, 2024.
Under Maiha’s leadership, the ministry has emerged as a key driver of food security, economic growth and conflict mitigation within the livestock value chain.
Maiha, a practicing livestock farmer, assumed office as the pioneer minister with a reform-focused agenda aimed at correcting long-standing misconceptions around the sector and repositioning it as a modern, investment-ready component of the Nigerian economy.
His approach has combined private sector leadership with government enablement, prioritising animal health, infrastructure development and sustainable production systems.
Within a short period, policies of the ministry have contributed to raising the estimated value of Nigeria’s livestock sector from ₦25 trillion in 2022 to about ₦33 trillion, according to official figures.
The Federal Government-approved Livestock Development Roadmap has provided the framework for this growth, emphasising modernisation of pastoral systems, improved grazing reserve infrastructure, revitalisation of private abattoirs to enhance hygiene and standards, and the promotion of private-sector-led ranching.
The ministry has also focused on expanding Nigeria’s livestock base, which as of 2022 stood at 258.5 million chickens, 88.2 million goats, 49.1 million sheep, 20.9 million cattle and 9.2 million pigs, as part of broader efforts to strengthen domestic supply and reduce imports.
Recently, Maiha accompanied President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on an official visit to Brazil, where he facilitated a $2 billion investment commitment from the Batista Brothers.
The investment targets improved livestock breeding, weight management, increased animal feed production and the promotion of sustainable practices to reduce farmer-herder conflicts.
Beyond international engagements, the minister has undertaken nationwide investment advocacy, encouraging Nigerians to participate in the livestock economy and highlighting low-capital entry points such as honey production.
These efforts form part of a broader strategy to grow the sector to an estimated $74 billion by 2035.
A public servant with extensive experience, Maiha previously served as chairman of Guyuk and Mayo-Belwa Local Government Areas in Adamawa State before joining the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), where he rose to Executive Director, Services, at the Kaduna Refinery.
Furthermore, Daily Asset said the award recognises Maiha’s contributions to peace promotion through practical solutions to farmer-herder conflicts, the entrenchment of modern animal husbandry practices and measurable progress in scaling Nigeria’s livestock economy within his first year in office.
