by Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu
The Federal Government has officially outlawed open grazing of cattle across Nigeria, calling the practice a major driver of conflicts and insecurity.
Announcing the decision in Yola, Adamawa State, the Minister of Livestock Development, Mallam Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said the ban takes immediate effect.
“It is now an offence to be caught grazing cattle openly,” Maiha declared during the inaugural National Council on Livestock Development. “All herders are strongly encouraged to embrace ranching, which is safer, more modern, and will produce healthier and fatter cattle for better business.”
Maiha said the ministry is working to reposition livestock as Nigeria’s next major revenue base, noting that the sector is projected to generate $74 billion within the next five years, with $14 billion already realised since the Presidential initiative began.
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, represented by Deputy Governor Professor Kaletapwa Farauta George, welcomed the decision, describing Adamawa as “the home of livestock in Nigeria” and praising the Minister for choosing the state to host the historic meeting.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock, Senator Musa Mustapha, said the livestock sector would soon overtake oil as Nigeria’s top revenue earner. “The Senate is fully prepared to support a strong, business-driven budget for this ministry,” he assured.
On the part of the House of Representatives, Chairman of the House Committee on Livestock, Hon. Tasir Olawale Raji, applauded the ban, insisting that the long-running farmer-herder clashes were avoidable. “These conflicts should have been resolved long ago,” he said.
Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, expressed gratitude to investors championing ranching, acknowledging contributors such as Dan Lawan Adamawa and Alhaji Sadik Daware.
Maiha also commended the Adamawa Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) for what he described as “remarkable achievements” over the last 12 years.
The nationwide ban marks one of the most decisive policy shifts yet in the effort to end decades of farmer-herder conflict and modernise Nigeria’s livestock industry.
