By Michael Agbaji
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Livestock Development on Friday held a critical budget defence session, expressing serious concern over the zero release of funds to the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in the 2025 fiscal year.
The joint hearing, chaired by Senator Shehu Buba and Hon. Wale Raji, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Livestock Development, reaffirmed the legislature’s constitutional responsibility to ensure prudent allocation, release and utilisation of public funds in line with Section 80(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Opening the session, Senator Buba described the engagement as a defining moment in Nigeria’s livestock reform agenda.
He recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development on July 9, 2024, under the Renewed Hope Agenda to reposition the livestock sector as a catalyst for food security, job creation, rural development and national stability.
“This budget defence is not a routine exercise. We must interrogate allocations, examine implementation capacity and ensure value for money,” Senator Buba stated.
The Committee noted that despite Nigeria’s vast livestock resources — including one of the largest cattle populations in Africa — productivity remains significantly low due to outdated production systems, inadequate veterinary services, weak feed infrastructure and limited processing capacity. Lawmakers warned that these structural challenges have fueled recurring farmer-herder conflicts, rural insecurity and continued reliance on imported dairy and livestock products.
Zero Performance in 2025
Presenting the ministry’s position, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed that while the ministry received a ₦75 billion take-off grant in 2024, only ₦20 billion was released and fully utilised for institutional setup and execution of 40 projects.
He further explained that the ministry had a ₦11.8 billion allocation in the 2024 budget, comprising ₦10 billion for capital expenditure and ₦1.8 billion for overhead costs.
However, he confirmed that there has been no cash-backed release for the 2025 budget.
“For 2025, there has been zero performance because there has been zero release. We have been operating on the ₦20 billion previously disbursed from the take-off grant,” the Minister said.
Despite the financial constraints, Maiha disclosed that the ministry has developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aimed at formalising Nigeria’s largely informal livestock sector, estimated at about $32 billion, and transitioning it towards structured, modern and climate-smart production systems.
He also revealed that 417 grazing reserves and livestock service centres nationwide have been inventoried as part of efforts to reform the sector and reduce pastoral migration, which has remained a recurring source of conflict.
Call for Strategic Investments and Collaboration
Lawmakers stressed the need for targeted investments in ranching development, feed and fodder production, water infrastructure, veterinary services, breeding programmes, processing facilities and digital livestock identification systems.
The Committee further emphasised the importance of strengthening legal and regulatory frameworks and deepening collaboration with state governments to ensure effective and sustainable implementation of livestock reforms.
The Joint Committee reiterated its commitment to robust oversight and pledged to work with the Executive to ensure that the livestock sector is properly funded and positioned to contribute meaningfully to national economic growth, food security and peacebuilding efforts.
