Nigeria’s government has announced it is planning to speed up the relocation of cattle from Abuja to designated grazing reserves.
This was made public by thee Minister of Livestock Development, Dr Idi Maiha on Tuesday, September 16, at the 2025 Media Retreat in Kaduna with the theme “Driving Livestock Growth through Strategic Communication”.
Maiha said the ministry would soon unveil a national peace campaign aimed at ending farmer-herder conflicts across the country.
Maiha 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.”
The minister stressed 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 said.
Maiha said the livestock sector remained a key driver of wealth creation, job opportunities, food security, and rural stability.
According to him, the ministry’s priority over the next five years is to provide the sector with the right policies, programmes, projects, and activities.
