By Citizenship Newspaper
As the nation seeks to reposition its livestock subsector as a catalyst for economic transformation and national security, stakeholders have called for commitment towards exploring the potentials of livestock exports.
The stakeholders made this call on Tuesday at the 2025 edition of Blueprint Newspaper’s Annual Impact Series/Awards ceremony, with a lecture, themed: “Exploring the Potentials of Livestock Exports in Nigeria”, which held in Abuja.
They noted that the topic for this year’s lecture, delivered by Special Adviser to the President and Coordinator of Presidential Livestock Reform, Professor Attahiru Jega, was apt as it aimed at addressing the current national priorities around economic justification, rural revitalization, and food security.
Speaking at the event chaired by the Secretary to the President of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said Nigeria’s livestock sector is rich in diversity and scale, which holds immense untapped potential.
Maiha noted that it has the capacity to contribute significantly to food security, job creation, and export earnings.
Explaining that the livestock sector has what it takes to be a major contribution to national GDP and a significant player in the global export market, he however, opined that to unlock this potential, it requires unlimited commitment.
He said: “From cattle, 58 million, sheep, 60 million, goats, 124 million, pigs, 9.3 million, camels, 900,000, donkeys, 410,000, and poultry, about 600 million.
According to him, theme is not only timely but deeply aligned with the vision of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
He listed challenges facing the livestock subsector ranging from disease control, low productivity, poor access to markets, weak value chains, and structural deficits.
“But I stand before you today to affirm that this administration is committed to turning these
challenges into golden opportunities, which is, among others, strategic investments, including export opportunities, stockholder partnerships, and a new regulatory framework.
“Already we are working on livestock traceability systems, disease free zones and
compartments, improved breeding programs, enhanced veterinary services, rescue
monitoring, feeds and ranger management, and other broader compliance mechanisms to
ensure our products meet international export standards.
“However, government cannot do this alone. We need the active involvement of the private sector, development partners, researchers, and indeed the media.
“Together, we can transform Nigeria from an importer of animal products to a thriving livestock
exporting nation”, he stated.
Similarly, the SGF, Sen. George Akume, noted that the theme resonates with the focus and direction of government in the livestock sector, which holds invaluable potentials for boosting industrial growth, foreign trade, and resolution of some of the most avoidable challenges facing our
society as a whole.
Akume explained that the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development clearly underscores the
importance President Bola Tinubu attaches to unlocking the vast potentials in this sector.
“Nigeria is home to millions of livestock, yet who have barely scratched the surface of its economic possibilities that range from meat and dairy production to hides and skin and process exports
to regional and global markets.
“This government is assured that through ongoing strategic
investment, infrastructure development, value chain enhancement, and regional trade facilitation, livestock shall become the cornerstone of Nigeria’s socioeconomic transformation,
especially in rural communities”, he said.
Earlier, in his welcome remark, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Blueprint Group of Newspapers, Mallam Salisu Umar, said the choice of Professor Jega was arrived at after a vigorous evaluation by a panel of distinguished scholars and policy makers and analysts, who recognized his decade-long track record in institutional reforms, democratic development, and socioeconomic advancement.
He described Livestock as a catalyst for industrial transformation, job creation, and global trade integration, as well as agenda national security.
He explained that the event as
a platform where some specific issues of national interest can be tabled and discussed internationally outside the traditional musical space, as well as to follow those
who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in governance, policy stability, and transformational impact across the legal, public, and private sectors.
Highpoints of the event was the presentation of awards to 32 deserving persons and organisations.
