FG Moves to Relocate Cattle from Abuja to Grazing Reserves

The Federal Government says it is working with key stakeholders to fast-track the relocation of cattle from Abuja city centre to designated grazing reserves.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Dr Idi Maiha, disclosed this at the 2025 Media Retreat in Kaduna themed “Driving Livestock Growth through Strategic Communication.”

He said the ministry will soon launch a nationwide peace campaign to end recurring farmer-herder conflicts.

“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,” Maiha stated.

The minister added that the government had already held discussions with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria as part of the relocation efforts.

“We need peace. We must give ourselves peace,” he declared.

Maiha also noted that state governments must show strong commitment, as peace in rural areas is key to food security, job creation, and stability.

“Milking Machines Should Replace Machine Guns”

He lamented that soldiers continued to lose their lives to violent groups.

“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,” he said.

Maiha painted a vision of a peaceful livestock economy. “Our focus is to have a country with truckloads of milk and not armoured personnel carriers. Milking machines should replace machine guns.”

The minister stressed that livestock remains central to wealth creation, rural development, and food sufficiency.

According to him, the ministry’s five-year plan will deliver policies and programmes to strengthen the sector and stabilise rural communities.

For context, livestock contributes significantly to Nigeria’s agricultural GDP, yet conflicts between herders and farmers have disrupted food systems. Similar policy reviews have been recommended by the World Bank and FAO.

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