•A Fulani herdsman with his cows
The National Economic Council (NEC) has constituted a committee to speed up the implementation of livestock production in Nigeria.
The committee, chaired by Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State, was set up during an emergency meeting of the NEC held virtually yesterday and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, reports Channels TV.
It has one member each representing the six geo-political zones, comprising Bauchi for the North-East, Niger for the North-Central, Ondo for the South-West, Imo for the South-East, Cross River State for the South-South region, and Kebbi for the North-West.
Other members of the committee include the ministers of Livestock Development, Agriculture and Food Security, Budget and Economic Planning, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness (Office of the Vice President).
Speaking at the 155th NEC meeting, Vice President Shettima said a practical, enduring, and nationally accepted solution to the farmer-herder crisis would guarantee food security in the country.
“We must acknowledge with absolute regret the deep distrust created by this violence, born out of a trade and an ancestral practice that ought to have remained a central pillar of our food security and rural economy. The loss of lives, the destruction of homes, and the devastation of farmlands must end.
“We cannot perform a task as fundamental as feeding ourselves unless we find an enduring, practical, and nationally accepted solution to the farmer herder crisis. Food security is a moral obligation to our people,” he stated.
Shettima identified mismanagement of long-standing tensions between farmers and herders as the cause of the conflicts that have strained the ancestral bonds of communities across Nigeria.
He regretted that what started “as a challenge of coexistence gradually hardened into cycles of violence that were allowed to persist for far too long without a durable solution.
“Today, that violence respects no geography. It has become a shared nightmare that has scarred every region, disrupted livelihoods, and eroded trust between neighbours who once relied on one another for survival,” the VP added.
He commended President Bola Tinubu’s bold initiative to transform livestock production in Nigeria, especially by integrating the sector as a key component of the national economy.
The vice president urged state governors to take the presentations on livestock development seriously by the Ministry of Livestock Development and the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee (PLRC), particularly leveraging opportunities in the sector for economic transformation, conflict resolution, and restoration of peace in parts of the country.
He also assured that the recommendations of the PLRC and the Ministry of Livestock Development would be given priority attention by the Tinubu administration, even as he sought the support of sub-nationals to fully harness the vast opportunities in the sector.
“The presentations before us today offer critical insight into responses designed to confront these realities. They speak directly to the challenge of stabilising our food systems, restoring confidence in rural economies, and reducing the security pressures that flow from competition over land, water, and livelihoods.
“At their core, these presentations seek to dispel the false choice between agriculture and security by demonstrating that both are inseparable pillars of national stability,” he stated.
NEC directed the committee to, among other things, review the recommendations of the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee and the proposal of the Ministry of Livestock Development, as well as identify interested states for the implementation of the programme.
Tinubu had, at the Federal Executive Council meeting held on December 10, 2025, directed NEC to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Livestock Development to come up with a roadmap for the transformation of Nigeria`s livestock industry.
The ministry worked on the proposal, which was presented at the meeting for the Council’s endorsement, all in the bid to transform Nigeria’s livestock sector into a modern, peaceful, and profitable engine of national development.
