The violence that exists between farmers and herders is one that continuously taints the fabric of achievement of each administration. Every year, thousands of people are killed in violence between migrant herders and local farming communities in many states in Nigeria. Previous administrations have come up with strategies to respite or alleviate this upheaval, but the suggestion by the president to create a new ministry might not be the most logical one to execute.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the possible creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development at the State House, Abuja, during the inauguration of the Renewed Hope Livestock Reform Implementation Committee. According to him, “This presents a unique opportunity also to delineate and establish a separate ministry called the Ministry of Livestock Development.” A ministry which will for him “develop the economy, give people the opportunity to excel”.
The ideology might be harmless, but its practicability is not feasible especially in an economic situation such as this. Nigeria does not need more ministries, especially when the already existing ones are not as efficient as they should be -there already exists a ministry of Agriculture. If the president is really concerned and interested in establishing a ministry for livestock development, its should be under the ministry of Agriculture. Agriculture as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary is the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products. So, activities and practices of livestock should still fall under the Ministry of Agriculture.
The new development hardly sits well with Netizens as they have taken to social media to decry the announcement, but one can hardly blame them. At a time when cost of governance should be cut down, more ministries are being lauded for which means more government expenses and more allocations in the budget.
Analysing previous administrations, former president Olusegun Obasanjo had 26 ministries and 40 ministers before the end of his administration. His successor, Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua named a 39-member cabinet. President Goodluck Jonathan had 33 nominees as ministers, President Muhammadu Buhari named 36 ministers in his first term and 42 in his second. Last year, Tinubu swore in 45 ministers, the largest in the history of the country since 1999. Despite the large number of ministers, the country’s economic growth maintains a slow rate and insecurity concerns are still persistent.
According to Mustapha, a concerned Nigerian based in Kaduna, he said “the Ministry of Niger Delta and the Niger Delta Development Commission did not solve the problems of the Niger Delta after so many years of operation. The duo have become an avenue to enrich a select few from that region and even some from other regions while leaving the region underdeveloped.”
His submission is a food for thought as we know that in Nigeria, any opportunity for selfish persons to enrich themselves from the coffers of the country’s dwindling resources is appreciated. It is already enough that inflation is at an all time high, unemployment is on the rise and businesses are suffering losses. Creating more ministries means more expenditures and more pressure on our resources.
The best approach to tackle the livestock problem is to direct the ministry of Agriculture to prioritise the sector and establish feasible practices to sustain and address the sector. With a joint effort from all ministries, herders would receive education and training, pathways would be created for nomads to move their cattle without trampling on farmers’ crops, a database should be created to manage the figures and number of herders. The government can also get VAT and Profit tax from the sale of milk, meat, hides and skin as a source of revenue. The bank of industry can also create a special fund to encourage farmers interested in livestock production and processing industries for the by-products.
The establishment of a committee to oversee the reform of livestock management is a commendable step, but such a committee needs to work under the ministry of Agriculture and not metamorphose into a ministry of its own. The capital intensity that such creation would require is not one that would benefit the country both in the short and long run. It is already enough that too many ministries are running, depleting resources with nothing to show for it. A new ministry is not what the country needs at this time.
