It is estimated that the livestock sector contributes over 30% to Jigawa State’s annual Gross Domestic Production (GDP), making it one of the state’s critical sectors in terms of contribution to economic development. However, the sector has been neglected, and no specific and comprehensive official development plan exists.
Over the years, the only verifiable and specific program for the sector captured in the state annual budget was not more than the annual livestock vaccination ceremony, which was very limited in context, scope, coverage and impact on the sector’s development.
The perennial clashes between herders and farmers, which have resulted in the loss of lives and properties, can also be attributed to the lack of government intervention and specific policy that will guide the two parties in their competing struggle for controlling land resources.
Though the critical stakeholders in the Jigawa state livestock production sector, particularly Herdsmen, endured to remain in their inheritance business despite the challenges retarding the sector’s development, one cannot deny that the business is still not different from 15th-century practices.
The state governor, Umar Namadi, recently inaugurated the Jigawa State Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee in line with the National Livestock Reforms agenda championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This move has rekindled the hope of many people and raised their expectations of policies and interventions that will reposition the sector in line with contemporary practice.
Before the establishment of the reform committee, Governor Umar Namadi made some efforts to improve the sector. This included providing free veterinary services, training, and engaging over 500 mobile animal health workers to deliver the services to the Fulani herders Ruga, farms, and other houses of livestock owners.
The free veterinary service is believed to be a good initiative capable of boosting the state livestock sector, which has a comparative advantage over the crop production sector.
Governor Umar Namadi, who identified the agricultural sector as the main drive for his 12-point agenda, has been demonstrating enthusiasm to accelerate the sector’s reform through his popular policy of ” Jigawa Agric Mechanization.” This policy has already started yielding results, making the state one of the leading states in rice, Sesame, and Hibiscus production in Nigeria.
On the other hand, currently, Jigawa is among the states with the largest livestock markets in Nigeria, and it has about 5 major markets and many other small markets where different ruminant animals and poultry are sale
To ensure the speedy implementation of the livestock reforms committee and lay a solid foundation for the sector’s sustainable growth, Governor Namadi appointed himself chairman of the committee of 13 members, which comprised Dr Saifullahi as co-chair and other agriculturalists, professionals, and technocras.
The committee’s terms of reference included conducting a situational analysis of the state’s livestock sector, including an assessment of current challenges, opportunities, and existing resources; organizing sensitization of stakeholders and the general public; and receiving a memorandum from members of the public for designing the sector’s development plan.
The committee is also expected to convene a preliminary consultation meeting with local stakeholders to gather input and feedback on implementing livestock reforms at the state level. Harmonization of findings from desk reviews and preliminary stakeholder meetings to build consensus on the projects and programmes.
The committee shall organize the Jigawa State Stakeholders Consultative Workshop on Livestock Reforms in collaboration with the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee (PLRIC). to harmonise the findings from desk reviews, preliminary stakeholder meetings and engagement with PLRIC.
It shall also be tasked with developing an implementable Jigawa State Livestock Development Plan, incorporating key principles and recommendations from the National Livestock Reforms agenda and the preliminary meetings with stakeholders.
Additionally, the committee will organise a validation workshop to receive feedback from stakeholders on the developed Jigawa State Livestock Development Plan and build consensus on the plan.
The final draft of the Jigawa State Livestock Development Plan will be produced based on inputs generated and agreed upon at the stakeholder validation workshop.
The reform’s implementation plan is expected to focus on key goals such as improving livestock productivity, resolving land-use conflicts, enhancing market access, and adopting modern technologies and digital innovations for the sector’s sustainable growth and development.
To underscore the importance he attaches to this all-important sector, Governor Namadi has been elected to chair the committee. Shortly after inaugurating the Committee, the governor declared that, in pursuing the reform, the team would carefully analyse the specific needs and challenges of the Jigawa state livestock sector, adapt national strategies to their unique context, and develop innovative solutions that will benefit all stakeholders.
He tasked the committee with engaging key stakeholders, including livestock farmers, herders, processors, researchers, and community leaders. Through these engagements, the Committee aims to produce practical, inclusive solutions that address the sector’s specific challenges.
The governor charged members, stakeholders and the public to work together to ensure that Jigawa State becomes a model for successful livestock development in Nigeria, demonstrating unwavering support for the Renewed Hope agenda and our commitment to building a prosperous and sustainable future of the nation.
Governor Namadi revealed the state government’s plan to establish a ministry for livestock development within the fiscal year in December while presenting the 2025 budget to the Jigawa State House of Assembly.
Reacting to the establishment of the Jigawa state livestock sector reform committee, Dr Rabiu Miko Babura, a private veterinarian, livestock farmer, and one of the state’s major animal feed dealers, described the move as a welcome development.
Dr Miko expressed his support for establishing the Ministry of Livestock, which was long overdue in the state, considering the state’s comparative advantage in the sector.
According to him, virtually every household in the state has someone engaged in ruminant animal or poultry farming, noting that reforming the sector will enhance its productivity and expand livelihood, food security and job creation for thousands of women and youth.
He urged the committee to focus on reforms that will include a provision for public-private partnerships to establish an animal feed processing company in the state, as the state has all the required raw materials. He described the provision of qualitative feeds at a subsidized price as pivotal for the sector’s sustainable growth.
With feeds accounting for about 70 per cent of the rising livestock cost, Miko said the government’s intervention in ensuring that feed is accessible and affordable to farmers would greatly boost the livestock sector.
He charged the committee with including a comprehensive plan for revitalising and upgrading the veterinary service, delivery system, abattoir, and access to reliable, efficient, and modern livestock markets.
Alhaji Adamu Birniwa, the former Secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association Jigawa state chapter and the current secretary of the association Northwest chapter urged the Committee to carefully select and engage authentic, practical livestock farmers to enable them to devise the necessary reforms in the state.
He also advised the committee to visit all gazetted grazing reserves across the 27 local government areas of the state to analyse their condition and develop realistic proposals for safeguarding and improving them for animal grazing.
Adamu Birniwa, however, advocates for the committee to consider training the Fulani Herdsmen youth in modern livestock farming. This shall also include selecting 20 to 100 Fulani youth in each local government and equipping them with modern Livestock farm facilities. Such farms shall serve as a model for others and receive a revolving empowerment grant.
The secretary maintained that improving the livestock sector, which has expanded the value chain, will go a long way toward building sustainable economic growth and development in Jigawa State and Nigeria.
According to Birniwa, caring for human life and happiness and not their destruction is the hallmark of good governance. Governor Namadi’s unwavering commitment to Joining hands with everyone in pursuing policies and projects that could improve the well-being of his citizens and make Jigawa great is very appreciable and encouraging and deserves all necessary support.
In his comment, the state Chairman, Miyyatti Allah Alhaji Wada Sule Bayya, changed the committee to emphasize promoting and using modern techniques of livestock production in the reform.
Malam Wada noted that the committee needs to incorporate and collaborate with the Jigawa Agricultural Research Institute and other state colleges of agriculture for research and training herdsmen youth and other livestock farmers in modern innovations and techniques of livestock farming.
“Using modern techniques of livestock farming, sincere government commitment and intervention will improve the sector’s productivity, tackle the risk of perennial herdsmen migration in search of a position to feed their animals, and reduce or bring an end to the long-existing herders/farmers class that ensues from the conflict of interest on land control.