Livestock Minister Targets Jobs, Food Security

Minister of Livestock Development, Mukhtar Idi Maiha, has reaffirmed the national government’s committedness to repositioning Nigeria’s livestock assemblage arsenic a operator of employment, peace, and nutrient security.

At a gathering of livestock reporters, Maiha said the ministry had developed a National Livestock Resilience Strategy (NLRS) to usher policies and programmes implicit the adjacent 5 years.

“The instauration of this ministry by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is simply a blessing to the country. It offers opportunities for wealthiness creation, occupation creation, nutrient security, and stableness successful agrarian communities,” helium said.
Maiha disclosed that 16 authorities governments person present acceptable up ministries oregon agencies dedicated to livestock development, up from lone 3 states a twelvemonth ago.
He added that the assemblage is attracting planetary interest, with overseas investors, including starring Brazilian agribusiness firms, successful talks with the government.

According to him, the ministry has already embarked connected projects specified arsenic pasture cultivation, feedlot establishment, abattoir revamping, and carnal wellness initiatives, each geared toward boosting nutrient and beverage accumulation and strengthening the livestock worth chain.

On peacebuilding, Maiha said sustainable improvement successful the assemblage cannot beryllium achieved without information and harmony betwixt farmers and herders. He revealed that the ministry would soon motorboat a nationalist bid run involving accepted and assemblage leaders to foster lasting stability.

The curate besides reaffirmed the government’s determination to relocate animals from Abuja metropolis centre, stressing that the measurement formed portion of broader bid and modernisation efforts.

“Our countryside should person tractors, not armoured unit carriers. Milking machines should regenerate instrumentality guns. We privation peace, and we volition execute peace,” Maiha stressed.

Earlier, manager of Ruminant and Monogastric Development, Dr. Victor Egbon, who represented the imperishable secretary, underscored the centrality of connection successful shaping nationalist cognition and advancing the livestock agenda.

The retreat, themed, “Driving Livestock Growth Through Strategic Communication,” brought unneurotic assets persons and stakeholders to fortify the capableness of journalists successful reporting livestock development.

Delivering the archetypal paper, president of the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Peter Dama, emphasised the relation of the media successful amplifying the livestock sector’s progress.

He noted that the manufacture provides employment and nutrient information and contributes to the nation’s GDP portion facing challenges specified arsenic illness outbreaks, constricted financing, and infrastructural gaps.

Dama urged journalists to follow improvement connection approaches successful their reportage, stressing that “without the press, it volition beryllium highly hard to walk bully messages across.”

He called for participatory reporting that involves livestock associations and assemblage leaders, informing that reforms specified arsenic ranching would neglect without grassroots engagement.

In the 2nd presentation, Dr. Ishaq Bello explained the livestock worth chain, distinguishing betwixt agriculture and agribusiness.

He said the absorption indispensable displacement from subsistence farming to profitable enterprises that integrate production, storage, processing, and marketing.

Bello besides clarified the differences betwixt ranches, farms, grazing reserves, and banal routes, highlighting that effectual absorption of grazing reserves and routes remains cardinal to reducing conflicts betwixt farmers and herders.

The 3rd paper, presented by Dr. Cletus Akwaya, erstwhile radical managing manager of Leadership Newspaper, focused connected ethical and investigative reporting.

He traced the improvement of journalism and highlighted the distinctions betwixt professional, scholastic, and national journalism.

Akwaya urged livestock correspondents to uphold professionalism, stressing that accurate, ethical reporting was captious to de-stigmatising the livestock sector, shaping nationalist understanding, and influencing authorities policy.

The retreat continues with further sessions expected to research integer tools, multimedia strategies for cultivation journalism and applicable approaches to livestock assemblage reportage.