Nigeria's 50 Million Cattle Starving, Threatening National Stability

A dire warning has shaken the national dialogue over 50 million cattle crucial to Nigeria's economy and rural life are dangerously underfed. Livestock Development Minister Idi Mukhtar Maiha issued the urgent call to action, describing the massive feed crisis as nothing less than a matter of survival for rural livelihoods and a threat to social peace.

Source: gazettengr

Speaking at a critical Policy Dialogue Workshop organized by the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food, the Minister stressed that securing adequate feed is a "national imperative that we cannot even leave for tomorrow." The cascading risks are immense, directly undermining incomes, food security, and community harmony across the nation.

"It is an emergency," Maiha stated emphatically. "The tangential effect of not being able to provide the necessary feed for our animals has a direct effect on our very existence, rural livelihood, and human peace."

Represented by Peter Alike, Director of the Permanent Secretary's Technical Office, the Ministry unveiled its long-term vision, citing a $32 billion current contribution of the livestock sector to Nigeria’s GDP. Alike asserted that proper development could skyrocket this figure to over $94 billion within a decade, highlighting the immense potential currently being jeopardized by the feed shortage.

Maiha hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing a dedicated Ministry of Livestock Development, calling Nigeria's active participation essential for any successful large-scale regional project. He pointed out the country's unique position: "I don’t know of any other country in West Africa and the Sahel that has a dedicated Ministry of Livestock Development." This underscores the need for Nigeria-led cooperation across ECOWAS and the Sahel to tackle shared challenges like feed quality and productivity.

The workshop, part of the PRISMA project, has gathered policymakers and experts to forge coordinated national plans and regional cooperation, framing livestock feed security as a top-tier policy priority.