Following the announcement by the Speaker of the House of Representatives 2nd of October 2024 at plenary about the creation of the House Committee on Livestock Development the committee has been inaugurated.
The new committee on Livestock Development is consequent upon the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Chairman of the committee who performed the inauguration, Mr. Wale Raji, said that it is unfortunate that the livestock sector has not received the due attention by successive administration despite its huge potential and contribution to our economy.
” The annual production in the livestock sector is estimated at 563million chickens, 58million cattle, 124million goats, 60million sheep and 16million pigs. While this put Nigeria as the leading livestock producer in West Africa, we are far from meeting our consumption needs resulting in expenditure of huge amounts of foreign exchange on importation of livestock products that could be easily produced in the country”. He said.
He noted that Nigeria stands at the precipice of extraordinary opportunity.
” The livestock sector is ripe for transformation, offering pathways to food security, economic diversification, and wealth creation. As we begin our work, it is our responsibility and privilege to be part of the pioneering effort at repositioning this sector for a future of prosperity and sustainability.
Our mandate, as approved by the Speaker, encompasses the general oversight of the Ministry responsible for Livestock Development. This includes its departments, parastatals, agencies, colleges, and research institutes, as detailed in the reports of the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee co-chaired by Mr. President.
We have a wide scope to ensure the effective and impactful development of this sector, and it is crucial that we execute our duties with diligence, transparency, and commitment to excellence“.He said.
He lists the Departments, and Institutions covered by the committee’s mandate to include “Diary Animal Husbandry Services, Beef Animal Husbandry Services, Sheep and Goats Animal Husbandry Services,
Poultry Husbandry Development
Swine and Micro Livestock Husbandry Services,Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development, Animal Feed and Fodder Development, Animal Breed Improvement and Genetic Resources Management,Livestock Commodity Value Chain and Entrepreneurship Development, Livestock Technology, Innovation, Extension and Advisory Services,Animal Health Services,
Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Assessment, Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety,Veterinary Sanitary Mandate and Allied Products, Veterinary Quality Assurance and Certification, Parastatals, Agencies and Colleges,
Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN), Nigeria Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), Colleges of Animal Health and Husbandry Technology, National Livestock Training Centre (NLTC)
College of Animal Sciences.
Research Institutes
- National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI
- Beef and Dairy Production Research Institute
- Sheep and Goats Production Research Institute
- Poultry Production Research Institute
- Swine and Micro livestock Production Research Institute
- Feed and Grassland Research Institute
- National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI)
- National Animal Diseases Vaccines and Biological Production
- National Animal Diseases Central Diagnostic Laboratory
- Genetic Resources Management Research Institute
- Nigerian Institute of Trypanosomiasis Research”.
Mr. Raji promised that the committee would work towards the development of the sector.
Oyenike Oyeniyi
Comments are closed.