The Presidency has disclosed that ongoing discussions with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) are aimed at ending the movement of cows across major streets in Abuja.
We gathered that the dialogue was convened at the instance of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who also serves as Chairman of MACBAN’s Board of Trustees, alongside the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha.
Speaking at the meeting, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Livestock Development, Idris Abiola-Ajimobi, reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s determination to provide lasting solutions to the challenges faced by pastoralists across the country.
“We are here for a stakeholders’ engagements meeting. It’s a gathering to dialogue with the livestock stakeholders to let them understand the effort that are being made by the administration of President Tinubu.
“We are working together with the Ministry of Livestock Development and other relevant agencies to address the root causes of the problems.
“The issue of livestock moving around the street of Abuja. We must first solve the issue of greasing reserves, we are working on ranches, we are working on Special Agro Industrial Processing Zone.
“We are also working on reviving the greasing reserves, providing feeds and ranches whereby pastoralist can find a safe zone to operate to live and coexist as well as have all the basic social amenities they need.
“Like feeds, water, healthcare system, veterinary clinics and other essential services,” Abiola-Ajimobi explained.
Also contributing, Dr. Balarabe Kakale, Special Assistant to the Minister of Education on Almajiri and Out-of-School-Children Education, said the session reviewed inclusive strategies of the Federal Ministry of Education.
“The meeting interacted with all the stakeholders and leaders mainly of MACBAN in Abuja and surrounding states and unanimously came up with one very important resolution.
“They are ready to partner with the sustainable grazing solutions of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development which educational is the key component.
“And they were ready to move to the grazing reserves of Abuja. So far, the required amenities are all provided there and of course they are about the Nomadic schools, veterinary and medical clinics, electricity, water, mini dams among others.
“And they are all ready to key into the all-inclusive education transformative agenda of this administration to get every child into functional education and learning,” Kakale stated.
On his part, the National President of MACBAN, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, said the dialogue focused on practical steps to tackle the presence of cows in Abuja’s city centre.
“And to also address the issue of education, particularly the issue of out-of-school children which the pastoralist children are the majority.
“Out of about 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, we believe 80 per cent of them belong to the pastoralist children.
“So, the issues of concern were raised and addressed here. You can see the congregation, we want to make Abuja a model, we want to start practising it here and see how it is going to work for us.
“You can see we have invited all the stakeholders, the leadership of MACBAN from the six Area Councils of the FCT and those families whose cows are roaming the streets of the city centre.
“We all invited them to hear from them. Let’s know what is the process that is bringing them into the city and how can we stop it,” he said.
Othman-Ngelzarma further revealed that a committee would be established to work out sustainable measures to ensure that cattle no longer stray into the Abuja metropolis.
