By Olawale Lamina
The Federal Government has put plans in place to engage stakeholders with a view to actualizing the relocation of cattle roaming the Abuja city centre to designated grazing reserves
The was disclosed by the Minister of Livestock Development, Dr Idi Maiha, Tuesday at the 2025 Media Retreat in Kaduna which came under the theme “Driving Livestock Growth through Strategic Communication.”
Dr. Maiha assured of the ministry preparedness to launch a national peace campaign aimed at ending farmer-herder conflicts across the country.
He said: “In a few weeks, the ministry will embark on a national peace campaign to achieve sustainable peace between farmers and herders, organised groups, and communities across the country.
“On Friday, we had a robust engagement with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as part of our moves to relocate animals roaming the city centre in Abuja to grazing reserves. We need peace. We must give ourselves peace.”
He reiterated the need for strong commitment from state governments to ensure comprehensive and lasting peace, noting that peace in rural communities was crucial for food security, job creation, and national stability.
“We cannot keep on losing members of our armed forces to bad elements. We are working with all the security agencies to silence the guns.
“Our focus is to have a country with truckloads of milk and not armoured personnel carriers. Milking machines should replace machine guns,” he stressed.
The Minister noted that the livestock sector remained a key driver of wealth creation, job opportunities, food security, and rural stability.
He also noted that communication was central to advancing the livestock sector as he spoke on the retreat.
He added that, “Following this retreat, we expect you to leverage your skills to further amplify the narrative of the livestock sector.
“We appreciate the influence of your profession and hope you will continue to use your pen strategically and positively in reporting on the sector.
“Your reporting has been instrumental in shaping public understanding of our policies and influencing the responses of farmers, herders, investors, and other stakeholders.”
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