Former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo’s close ally and former spokesman, Laolu Akande, has said the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government did not need a Ministry of Livestock Development to address farmers-herders clashes….CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>

Tinubu had on Tuesday approved the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development as part of measures to curb the perennial farmers-herders clashes.

But Akande said though a lack of will and expertise are hindering the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NTLP), the country may not need another ministry for livestock.

“I am not sure that we need a ministry (of livestock),” Akande said on Tuesday on a Channels TV programme.

“Based on what is available to me now, I am not entirely certain that we would need a ministry to do this (curb farmers-herders clashes). But let’s wait for more details.”

Nigeria has been locked in decades-long clashes between herders and farmers. The tussle over access to land, pasture, and water has exacerbated the crisis, leading to the loss of lives and properties.

Previous governments and some state governments have introduced several measures including the NLTP and a ban on open grazing to address it.

But Akande noted that if the NLTP introduced by the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari was implemented, it would transform the livestock industry in Nigeria and end the clashes.

“The National Livestock Transformation Plan, if it is effectively implemented, is going to solve the problem of the farmer-herder clashes and is going to modernise the livestock industry in our country,” he said.
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