The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has come under criticism from livestock sector stakeholders following the inauguration of a Technical Sub-Committee on Livestock Development in which the Minister of Livestock Development is listed only as a member rather than the lead authority.
Stakeholders have questioned the rationale behind the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning inaugurating and chairing a committee on livestock development, despite the existence of a stand-alone Ministry of Livestock Development established specifically to oversee the sector.
The National Economic Council (NEC) Technical Sub-Committee on Livestock Development was inaugurated on Monday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja, with Bagudu serving as chairman.
Explaining the decision, Bagudu said the sub-committee was created to harmonise existing policy frameworks and fast-track the development of a clear, actionable roadmap for livestock development for adoption by the National Economic Council. He said the move followed an earlier NEC decision to set up a high-level committee on livestock development chaired by the Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, with governors from the six geopolitical zones, relevant ministers and representatives of the Presidential Committee on Livestock Development as members.
According to him, the technical sub-committee became necessary due to the urgency of the assignment and the busy schedules of state governors.
“Our task is not to reinvent the wheel. There is already a substantial body of work. What is required now is to distil these reports into a clear, practical implementation roadmap that the National Economic Council can adopt without delay,” Bagudu said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu considers livestock development a central pillar of Nigeria’s economic and agricultural transformation, noting that the President’s decision to personally chair the Presidential Committee on Livestock Development reflects this priority.
“Livestock is a critical economic driver for food security, agricultural productivity and inclusive growth,” the minister said, while also pointing to the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Livestock Development as evidence of the administration’s commitment to the sector.
However, the structure and composition of the technical sub-committee have continued to attract criticism. Observers argue that the creation of multiple committees on livestock development raises concerns about duplication of roles and blurred institutional leadership.
Critics maintain that with a dedicated Ministry of Livestock Development in place, the ministry should ordinarily serve as the institutional anchor for policy coordination, planning and implementation, rather than being represented as one of several members in an inter-ministerial committee chaired by another minister.
One source familiar with the developments, who requested anonymity, said commissioners of livestock from several states contacted by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have openly questioned the arrangement.
“They are asking why a square peg is not being put in a round hole,” the source said, adding that the situation has created confusion about leadership and accountability in the sector.
Members of the sub-committee include Senator Bagudu as chairman; the Permanent Secretary of Budget and Economic Planning, represented by Dr Sampson Ebimaro; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness, Mr Kingsley Uzoma; the Cross River State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Dr Micheal Odere; commissioners from Kebbi and Niger states, Dr Abba Kalgo and Mr Mustapha Ndajiwo; and the Director of Special Duties at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Gloria Ahmed.
Other members are the National Project Coordinator of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, Dr Sanusi Abubakar; the Executive Director of Niger Foods, Mr Ola Oloyede; a Livestock Systems Specialist and policy adviser, Dr Winnie Lai-Solarin; and the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha.
