In a united show of political will, the National Assembly has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s comprehensive livestock reform agenda, a strategic move aimed at resolving Nigeria’s protracted farmers-herders conflict and addressing the growing threat of food insecurity.
Senator Saliu Mustapha, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture Production Services and Rural Development, announced the legislature’s commitment during a Distinguished Personality Lecture held in his honour at the University of Ilorin.
The lecture, titled “The Political Economy of Livestock Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects,” was delivered by former INEC Chairman and current Special Adviser to the President on Livestock Reforms, Professor Attahiru Jega.
Speaking at the event, which also marked the university’s 50th anniversary, Senator Mustapha said the National Assembly is prepared to enact far-reaching, evidence-based legislation to modernise the livestock sector, end violent rural clashes, and foster agricultural prosperity.
“We are fully aligned with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its transformative vision for agriculture,” Mustapha stated. “Professor Jega’s lecture has presented a compelling framework that will guide our legislative priorities in the coming months.”
He attributed recurring violence between farmers and herders to deep-rooted structural problems including land scarcity, climate change, and decades of poor resource management and described livestock reform as both an economic necessity and a national security priority.
In his address, Jega called for urgent, systemic reforms to rescue the livestock sector, which he said remains stunted by obsolete practices, limited veterinary services, and prolonged neglect. Without immediate intervention, he cautioned, Nigeria risks sliding into a nutritional and economic crisis.
The event drew scholars, policymakers, students, and legislators underscoring the broad consensus around the need for reform and the urgency of implementing Tinubu’s livestock agenda.
