The National Economic Council (NEC) has constituted a committee on livestock development to fast track the implementation of livestock production reforms in Nigeria, as part of efforts to strengthen food security and address long standing challenges in the sector.
The decision was taken on Wednesday during the 155th meeting of NEC, which was held virtually. The committee is expected to work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of livestock development programmes across the country.
Chairman of the Council and Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, said a practical, enduring, and nationally accepted solution to the farmer herder crisis remains critical to guaranteeing food security in Nigeria. He stressed that food security is both an economic and moral responsibility of government to its citizens.
The NEC committee on Livestock Development includes one representative from each of the six geo political zones. Bauchi State represents the North East, Niger State represents the North Central, Ondo State represents the South West, Imo State represents the South East, Cross River State represents the South South, while Kebbi State represents the North West.
Other members of the committee are the Ministers of Livestock Development, Agriculture and Food Security, and Budget and Economic Planning, as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness from the Office of the Vice President.
The Council directed the committee to review the recommendations of the Presidential Livestock Reform Committee (PLRC) and the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Livestock Development. The committee is also to identify states that are willing and ready to participate in the implementation of the livestock development programme.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier directed NEC to work with the Ministry of Livestock Development to develop a roadmap for transforming Nigeria’s livestock industry. This directive was given during the Federal Executive Council meeting held on 10 December 2025.
Following the President’s directive, the Ministry of Livestock Development prepared a proposal which was presented to the Council for endorsement. The proposal is aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s livestock sector as a modern, peaceful, and profitable contributor to national development.
In his opening address, Vice President Shettima said food security cannot be achieved without resolving the farmer herder crisis. “We must acknowledge with absolute regret the deep distrust created by this violence, born out of a trade and an ancestral practice that ought to have remained a central pillar of our food security and rural economy. The loss of lives, the destruction of homes, and the devastation of farmlands must end.”
He added, “We cannot perform a task as fundamental as feeding ourselves unless we find an enduring, practical, and nationally accepted solution to the farmer herder crisis. Food security is a moral obligation to our people.”
The Vice President said the conflicts were caused by poor management of long standing tensions that escalated into violence. “What began as a challenge of coexistence gradually hardened into cycles of violence that were allowed to persist for far too long without a durable solution,” Senator Shettima said.
He noted that the violence now affects all regions of the country. “Today, that violence respects no geography. It has become a shared nightmare that has scarred every region, disrupted livelihoods, and eroded trust between neighbours who once relied on one another for survival,” he added.
Vice President Shettima commended President Tinubu’s initiative to transform livestock production and urged state governors to take the presentations by the Ministry of Livestock Development and the PLRC seriously. He said states should leverage opportunities in the sector for economic growth, conflict resolution, and peace.
He noted that President Tinubu created a separate Ministry of Livestock Development in recognition of the sector’s vast potential. He assured that the recommendations of the PLRC and the Ministry would receive priority attention from the administration.
“The presentations before us today offer critical insight into responses designed to stabilise our food systems, restore confidence in rural economies, and reduce the security pressures that flow from competition over land, water, and livelihoods,” the Vice President stated.
“At their core, these presentations seek to dispel the false choice between agriculture and security by demonstrating that both are inseparable pillars of national stability,” he added nationwide across rural communities countrywide.
