The federal government has praised Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his visionary efforts in livestock development, noting that his initiatives align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Livestock Transformation Agenda under the Renewed Hope Initiative.
The commendation was made by the Minister of Livestock Development, Mr. Idi Mukhtar Maiha, during the official groundbreaking ceremony for the 184-hectare Agro-Livestock Development Zone held on Saturday in Gombe.
The project, a cornerstone of Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s vision for agro-industrial transformation, includes an ultramodern abattoir, an international cattle market, a tannery, leather processing facilities, and a dry inland port designed to connect processed livestock and grain products to local and international markets.
The minister noted that the establishment of the Agro-Livestock Development Zone is a strategic move to enhance animal processing capacity not only for the Northeast but for Nigeria as a whole.
“I am delighted to witness this historic milestone in Gombe State. It is indeed another lasting legacy of Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s administration. This achievement is entirely in line with the realisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and represents a strategic step towards improving our animal processing for both local and international consumption.
“This substantial investment will process 500 bulls, 1,000 small ruminants, and 3,000 poultry birds daily, translating into 182,500 bulls, 365,000 goats and sheep, and 1,095,000 poultry annually. This is a game-changer for the Northeast and indeed for Nigeria,” the minister added.
In his address, Governor Inuwa Yahaya described the initiative as a “historic turning point” for the agro-livestock economy, which demonstrated the firm commitment to transforming Gombe State’s agricultural and livestock sectors.
He said the project was unlocking new levels of productivity, prosperity, and opportunity for our people.
“This groundbreaking event is a bold step towards building a prosperous and sustainable future for livestock development,” the governor stated.
Governor Yahaya noted that over 80% of the population in Gombe was engaged in agriculture and livestock and that the project was aimed at reversing the decline of the historic prominence of the state as a regional hub for grain and livestock trading.
He added that the Agro-Livestock Zone was the culmination of years of strategic investment and reform, including mass livestock vaccination programmes, the establishment of milk cooperatives, drilling over 70 solar-powered boreholes, re-demarcation of grazing reserves under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience (L-PRES) project, and improved veterinary infrastructure.
Governor Yahaya used the occasion to announce an ambitious N50 billion water canalisation project from River Gongola to the Wawa-Zange Grazing Reserve, expected to benefit over one million pastoralists directly and more than five million people indirectly.
“In 2022, through a strategic partnership with the USAID-supported Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity and Messrs Mercy Corps, we undertook a comprehensive technical and feasibility study for water canalisation from River Gongola into Wawa-Zange Grazing Reserve,” Governor Yahaya said.
The proposed 36 km canal will address longstanding water scarcity challenges and directly support over 1,000,000 pastoralists while indirectly benefiting more than 5 million people.
The project, which is designed and estimated at over ₦50 billion, is expected to enhance climate resilience, food security, and sustainable livestock production,” the governor announced.