By Chukwudi Obasi, Abuja
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, has said that the livestock sector can boost the economy by N33trn if it is well unbundled and harnessed.
He said this at yesterday’s inaugural meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Livestock Development.
Maiha said the sector can attract much capital into the country once it is unbundled.
The Minister said Nigerian businessmen have already indicated interest in going into ranching and dairy farming.
He also urged state governments to create dedicated Ministries of Livestock for a more seamless relationship with the federal government.
He said state governments play a critical role.
“We are currently taking stock of those state governments that have external Ministry of livestock and fisheries. State governments that have not created it should give it effect and have a standing Ministry for Livestock so there would be a seamless relationship between the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the State Ministries of Livestock, as the case may be.
“Once unbundled, this sector is worth about N33trn. Once unbundled, we have a huge opportunity to attract capital into the country and attract many ranchers. At the moment, we have many requests from Nigerian businessmen who want to participate in ranching and dairy activities.
“So it is a question of settling down and unbundling this Ministry, giving it to into the formal sector so that it can be de-risked and people will know that beyond what everybody has been saying before the creation of this Ministry, today there is a strong political support from the office of the President and then this Committee.”
The chairman of the Committee, Wale Raji, said the country’s livestock sector’s transformation holds many job creation opportunities and contributes to its economic growth and development.
He said the Committee understood the urgency of the sector’s needs and promised to partner with the Ministry to ensure its speedy implementation.
He expressed confidence in the capacity of the Minister to deliver on his mandate.
“The only regret is that the creation of the Ministry is coming this late. But our consolation is that it is better late than never. And with your wealth of experience as a technocrat and a practicing farmer, we do not doubt that we have a round peg in a round hole. The whole essence would be towards the development and progress of the country,” he said
He, however, warned that the Committee will not compromise on its oversight function.
