The Federal Government has announced a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate 417 grazing reserves across the country as part of efforts to end the long-standing clashes between herders and farmers.
Speaking over the weekend in Ibadan, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Livestock Development, Mr Idris Ajimobi, revealed that the government is working closely with both local and international partners through the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development to realise the initiative.
Ajimobi stated that the plan is to revive at least two to three grazing reserves in different parts of the country within the next 12 to 18 months as a pilot phase of a broader rehabilitation programme.
“The target is to revive all the grazing reserves as much as possible,” he said. “Some have unfortunately become overrun by aggressive weeds, making them inhabitable for livestock, but a large number—about 400—are still functional and require minimal upgrades to return to standard.”
According to him, engagements with local and foreign stakeholders are already underway to assess investment interests and collaboration opportunities. “There is interest from all over, and we are speaking with partners to identify who can come in where,” he added.
The initiative is a key part of President Bola Tinubu’s strategic response to the decades-old herders-farmers conflict, which has disrupted livelihoods and strained rural economies across the country.
Ajimobi also highlighted early achievements of the Ministry of Livestock, noting that beyond reviving grazing reserves, the ministry is focused on addressing the root causes of the conflict—chiefly, the lack of access to clean water, food, and healthcare for livestock.
“We are going back to the drawing board to identify all the sources of the problem and address them,” he explained. “We must engage the people, sensitise them, and carry them along because we cannot do it alone.”
As part of broader reforms, the ministry is also working to improve the quality of Nigerian beef and dairy products by supporting farmers with better inputs and sustainable practices. The goal, Ajimobi noted, is to boost local production and reduce dependence on imported dairy.
“We want to get to a stage where every Nigerian child gets a pack of milk a day,” he said. “To achieve this, we need to increase our local production and work together in a collective effort.”
The Federal Government’s revival of grazing reserves has been welcomed by stakeholders, with hopes high that the initiative will help bring lasting peace to affected communities and modernise Nigeria’s livestock industry.
