Taiwo Hassan 
With the commencement of activities in the Ministry of Livestock Development, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has defended that the mandate of his ministry is to look out for solutions to challenges before sector.
He identified the challenges to include making provision for high quality feeds, disease outbreaks, farmers/herders conflicts, over grazing, aging stocks, climate change, limited access to credit facility, providing modern facilities as well as inadequate infrastructure.
Malha, who made this known in an interview with New Telegraph, said that government had the tendency to properly improve Nigeria’s livestock sector, therefore urging stakeholders to work together with the Ministry to meet the expectations of Nigerians and resolve the challenges in the sector as a whole.
According to the Livestock Development Minister, there has been different insinuations in different quarters on how his Ministry can solve the numerous challenges around the country’s livestock sector.
In particular, Maiha condemned critics, who said though the Ministry had started, it won’t fly at the end of the day.
However, in a strong call to action, he called for the full support and cooperation from stakeholders in the Ministry, saying that they could not afford to disappoint Nigerians, particularly following the creation of the Ministry by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Maiha outlined the objectives behind the formation of the Ministry and the urgent need for action in the livestock sub-sector.
He explained that Nigerians were looking for meaningful changes, particularly in the areas of reducing the frequent farmer-herder conflicts, as well as increasing the supply and affordability of beef, dairy products, poultry, chevon, mutton, pork, and other livestock items.
“With the Ministry and the available human resources in Nigeria, the days of lamentation should be over, we must come together and provide tangible results, we can not afford to fail,” he added.
The Minister further unveiled plans to engage with all relevant parties within the sector. This includes consultations with academic institutions, donors, other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as the private sector.
He stressed the need for collaboration, noting that the success of the Ministry’s activities would depend on the involvement of everyone, from upstream to downstream stakeholders in the livestock value chains.
“We are committed to being open, transparent, consultative, and results-driven in our approach. Our doors are wide open for honest and productive discussions with all who are willing to contribute,” Maiha assured.
According to him, there is a focus group discussion ongoing, which has been convened to gather ideas and recommendations from relevant stakeholders that will create solutions to challenges facing the livestock industry and Nigeria at large.
The Minister stressed that the goal of the group was to develop clear, implementable strategies that could bring about favorable outcomes if properly executed.
He stressed that the Ministry would endeavour to look into animal health and breeding, livestock entrepreneurship and value chains, feed and foddergrazing reserves development, and cross-cutting issues.
Maiha expressed confidence in himself and staff in the Ministry, coupled with the expertise and experienced hands present there, of effective intervention strategies that would emerge to address the challenges facing the livestock sector.
He, however, stated that he is an agriculturist and knows his onus in his plans to bring the livestock sub-sector to the front burner.
Maiha said: “I am a agriculturalist and I did tell you there are many values there in livestock if properly administered. But for the benefit of Nigerians, in 2022, Nigeria spent $800 billion to import honey into this country.”
