NEC approves national livestock plan to curb farmers/herder clashes

The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) to address the farmer/herder crisis in the country.

Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi governor, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking with state house correspondents at the end of a meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

Bagudu noted that the approval was as a result of a memo presented by Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture.

The governor said the federal government plans to attract N2 trillion into the country’s economy through the livestock sector.

He said some obstacles, like limited knowledge of Nigerian livestock assets by size, locations, water and insecurity, have hindered the government’s policies to improve the sector.

“NLTP has been backed up with the ECOWAS Heads of State and government approval since 2005, because whatever we are doing in the livestock sector must incorporate the ECOWAS protocol, otherwise, whatever success that is recorded in Nigeria can be complicated by the ECOWAS arrangement which we are part of,” he said.

“It is about creating condition to launch the peaceful transformation of the Nigerian livestock ecosystem to add, at least, N2 trillion to the economy.

“The approach is to invest in the livestock sector to provide ranches, mitigating the escalating crisis between pastoralists and farmers.

“The strategy would be supported by the development of an implementation plan, which Mr. President had already approved, that provides a guiding framework to states for implementing NLTP, which will be implemented in phases.”