President Bola Tinubu has vowed to revamp Nigeria’s livestock sector, acknowledging past neglect and promising a robust framework to stimulate prosperity.
At a two-day Consultative Workshop on Livestock Reforms in Abuja, he emphasized the sector’s critical role in creating employment and attracting foreign direct investment.
“The livestock sector is critical, and we will give all it needs to bring value to our country. Stakeholders, I assure you that you will not regret the collaboration and investment in this sector,” President Tinubu stated.
He highlighted the need for improvement, citing Nigeria’s inability to provide a pint of milk per child in classrooms daily.
In his words: “It is about time that we do it right. A country of over 200 million people and cannot serve our children one pint of milk in a classroom per day? That is not right.
“Our annual production of animal-source foods, like milk at 0.7 billion litres, meat at 1.48 million Tonnes and eggs at 0.69 million metric Tonnes, falls far short of our needs. Our per capita consumption levels—8.7 litres of milk, 9 kg of meat, 3.5kg or 45 eggs per year—are troublingly low compared to global averages. These are 44 litres of milk, 19 kg of meat, and between 160 and 180 eggs per year.
“What is more worrisome to me is the average milk yield by cow breeds managed by our pastoralists: it is a mere 0.5 to 1.5 litres per day, compared to a global average of 6.6 litres per day. We can do much better!
“The long-term neglect of the livestock sector has weighed heavily on the country’s import bills, with milk and dairy products accounting for $1.2-1.5 billion.”
According to President Tinubu, the goal is to transform the sector from subsistence to a thriving, commercialized industry, significantly contributing to Nigeria’s GDP and providing decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods.
“The potential is immense: With 563 million chickens, 58 million cattle, 124 million goats, 60 million sheep, and 16 million pigs, Nigeria is the leading livestock producer in West Africa,” he noted.
The President then commended the Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, led by Prof. Attahiru Jega and Prof. Muhammed Yahaya Kuta, and thanked the Nigerian Governors Forum, chaired by Governor Abdurrahman Abdulrazaq, for supporting animal farming reforms.