FG sees technology curbing herder movement

The federal government has revealed plans to set up situation rooms, leveraging on technology to monitor herder movements across the country.

This was revealed by Idi Muktar Maiha, minister of the newly created Federal Ministry of Livestock Development Nigeria, in his remarks at the Strategic Consultative Session with Selected Stakeholders on Sustainable Livestock Development, organised by the ministry, which began in Abuja on Monday.

The minister, while fielding questions from journalists on plans to tackle the farmer-herder clashes that have hit the sector hard, said Bola Ahmed Tinubu created the ministry to meet the yearnings of Nigerians who seeking concerted action in the livestock sub sector of our economy.

“At the moment, we don’t have an office, but in the meantime, we have studied and seen that the best way to handle this situation is to have a situation room by leveraging technology,” he said

“We are going to do this by getting drones all over the place, where particularly we have high density and the flashpoints so that we get real-time on-time situation report and we can communicate with national security agencies to make sure that flashpoints are reduced and incidences of other classes are avoided.

“At the moment, we have a team that is working on branding this ministry to all Nigerians across the country. In branding the ministry, we are going to raise awareness and set the touch people about the mandate of this ministry and then open up the ministry as we try to pull it out of the traditionalism into modernity, open up of the value chains so that Nigerians could be availed of all the economic and investment opportunities in the liftoff sector.

“We have gotten a number of presenters looking at infrastructure in terms of grazing reserves, in terms of roots, cattle roots, both national and international, as well as the dams that are present in the country. We are going to use those dams in terms of growing pasture for cattle watering, as well as hydro to support businesses who want to come into mid-processing.”

According to Maiha, “Nigerians are looking for change in the areas of reduction of farmer-herder conflict, increased supply of and affordable beef, dairy products, poultry, chevon, mutton, pork and other livestock products.

Stressing the selected areas of focus, the minister listed entrepreneurship/value chains, feed & fodder-grazing, reserves development and cross-cutting Issues for discourse during this meeting.

“I assure you of our commitment to act swiftly and effectively on all the accepted recommendations, based on the resources available to us. With the Ministry and the available human resources in Nigeria, the days of lamentation should be over, we must come together and provide tangible results, we can’t afford to fail.”

He stressed the plan to engage all stakeholders to achieve the desired results.

“We will be open, transparent, consultative and result driven, our doors are wide open for honest discussions, with all,” he noted.