Laolu Akande, former aide to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has expressed doubts about the necessity of the recently established Ministry of Livestock Development in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu approved the creation of the Ministry on Tuesday as a measure to address the ongoing farmers-herders clashes.
Akande, however, argued that while the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) has been hindered by a lack of will and expertise, the country may not need an additional ministry to manage livestock development. Speaking on Channels Television‘s Politics Today, Akande stated, “I am not sure that we need a ministry [of livestock]. 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 grappling with decades-long conflicts between herders and farmers, primarily due to disputes over access to land, pasture, and water. These clashes have resulted in significant loss of lives and properties. Various governments and state administrations have introduced measures such as the NLTP and bans on open grazing to mitigate the crisis.
Akande emphasized that the effective implementation of the NLTP, introduced during ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, could transform the livestock industry and resolve the farmer-herder conflicts. “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 modernize the livestock industry in our country,” he said.
He acknowledged that several policies are already in place to address the issue and suggested that enhancing these existing frameworks might be more effective than creating a new ministry. Akande’s remarks call for a careful evaluation of the proposed solutions and emphasize the importance of leveraging and improving current plans rather than initiating new bureaucratic structures.
The newly established Ministry of Livestock Development is intended to provide a focused approach to addressing the challenges in the livestock sector.
