Follow Us on Google
From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Yesterday’s revelation by the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, that 65 per cent of animals consumed annually in Nigeria are imported, despite the country’s huge production potential, has triggered sharp criticism from the National Assembly.
The lawmakers accused the Federal Government of paying lip service to the livestock industry two years after establishing a full-fledged ministry for the sector.
The lawmakers, sitting as a Joint Committee on Livestock Development, expressed dissatisfaction over what they described as gross neglect and poor funding of the ministry, warning that the situation could undermine the government’s economic diversification agenda.
Speaking during the 2025 budget performance review and defence of the 2026 proposals by the ministry, Maiha lamented that although Nigeria has a red meat exportation potential valued at N3.2 billion, the country still depends heavily on imports to meet local demand.
Other News
He further disclosed that out of the N70 billion approved as takeoff fund for the ministry in 2024, only N20 billion had been released, while nothing was disbursed from the N10 billion capital allocations for the 2025 fiscal year.
The disclosure drew angry reactions from members of the committee, led by Senator Shehu Buba (Bauchi South), who described the funding situation as unacceptable and called for urgent intervention by President Bola Tinubu.
The committee resolved to formally write to the President, urging him to address the funding crisis in line with the administration’s commitment to diversifying Nigeria’s economy through livestock development, as successfully practised in countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Belgium.
Leading the criticism, the Senate Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, said the poor funding contradicted the very rationale behind the establishment of the ministry.
In his contribution, Abdul Ningi alleged that the zero capital release might be a case of sabotage, insisting that President Tinubu could be unaware of the situation.
