Ilorin: Prof. Attahiru Jega, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Livestock Reforms, has called for the implementation of strategic reforms in the livestock sector to prevent protein shortages in the country.
Jega made the call on Monday at the Annual Distinguished Personality Lecture organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN).
The lecture, with the theme “The Political Economy of Livestock Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects,” was held.
He said that the country’s livestock systems were ill-equipped to meet the rising protein demand as the population was projected to increase to 400 million by 2050.
According to him, the demographic surge will necessitate a 253 per cent increase in poultry meat, a 117 per cent rise in beef, and a staggering 577 per cent expansion in milk production.
“The increase is to satisfy domestic consumption requirements. There Is a need to shift from traditional open grazing to modern climate-smart livestock production.
“There should be an overhaul of outdated practices, greater investment in ranching, and conflict-sensitive policies to resolve farmer-herder tensions.
“Our livestock sector must move from underperformance and conflict to becoming a driver of peace, productivity, and prosperity. Without strategic reforms, we are courting disaster.
“A simultaneous genetic revolution anchored in animal health innovation must be urgently considered.
“Nigeria must design and activate an export acceleration policy. Special livestock export zones should be designated in key transit and production cities such as Kano, Jos, and Lagos.
“These zones will feature Halal and Kosher certification centres, ECOWAS-compliant quarantine facilities, and duty-free access to critical inputs for export-oriented producers.
“This strategy is expected to reverse Nigeria’s dependency on $1.5 billion worth of dairy imports annually and position the country to capture at least 15 per cent of West Africa’s meat trade by 2030,” he said.
In his remarks, Sen. Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central at the Senate, urged federal and state governments to allocate 10 per cent of annual budget appropriations to the agricultural sector to reflect the Maputo Declaration.
Mustapha called on members of the National Assembly to take the livestock business more seriously.
He also urged university students to consider taking up livestock as a means of livelihood based on its inherent importance.
Additionally, Prof. Adedoyin Omeda, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UNILORIN, stated that the lecture’s topic was informed by the country’s rising economic and security challenges.
She described Jega as a bridge between academia and transformative public service.
Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, commended the organiser of the lecture
Egbewole, represented by Prof. Adisa Fawole, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Management Services, UNILORIN, stated that the lecture topic aligned with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
