- The president highlighted the importance of the livestock industry
President Bola Tinubu has committed to revitalising Nigeria’s livestock sector, acknowledging that over-reliance on dairy imports has cost the country $1.5 billion.
Speaking at a two-day Consultative Workshop on Livestock Reforms held in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu emphasised the need to correct past neglect of livestock farming and promised to restore confidence in the sector.
The president highlighted the importance of the livestock industry, stating, “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.” He acknowledged that previous governments failed to recognise the sector’s potential but said his administration is committed to making it a key contributor to Nigeria’s economy.
Tinubu announced the creation of the Livestock Reform Implementation Committee, which aims to transform the sector from a subsistence model to a commercialised industry. He stressed that Nigeria, with its large population of livestock—563 million chickens, 58 million cattle, and 124 million goats—has the resources to boost dairy and meat production.
The president lamented that Nigeria’s current output, including 0.7 billion litres of milk and 1.48 million tonnes of meat annually, is far below national needs. He pointed to the low milk yield of cows managed by pastoralists, which averages just 0.5 to 1.5 litres per day compared to a global average of 6.6 litres, as a key area for improvement.
Kwara State Governor Abdurrahman Abdulrazaq, representing the Nigerian Governors Forum, assured Tinubu of state-level support for the reform, linking it to food security and conflict resolution.
The workshop, co-chaired by Prof. Attahiru Jega, gathered input from stakeholders across the livestock value chain. Jega stressed that continuous engagement with stakeholders is crucial to ensure the success of the livestock reform initiative.