The Nigerian presidency has said it has opened dialogue with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in a bid to end the sight of straying cows in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria.
The meeting, convened at the instance of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who also doubles as the Chairman of the MACBAN Board of Trustees, was attended by the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, top government aides, education officials and herders’ leaders from across the six area councils of the FCT.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Livestock Development, Idris Abiola-Ajimobi, who spoke on behalf of the Presidency, insisted that the administration was determined to tackle the problem of straying cattle in Abuja once and for all.
“We are here for a stakeholders’ engagement meeting to dialogue with livestock stakeholders and explain the efforts of the Tinubu administration,” Abiola-Ajimobi said.
“We must first solve the issue of grazing reserves. We are working on ranches, Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, reviving reserves, providing feeds and ranches where pastoralists can find a safe zone with social amenities, water, veterinary clinics and healthcare.”
Also speaking at the meeting, Special Assistant to the Minister of Education on Almajiri and Out-of-School-Children, Dr. Balarabe Kakale, said the government was also tying livestock reforms to educational programmes targeting pastoralist children.
According to him, nomadic schools, mini-dams, electricity, veterinary and medical facilities are part of the plan for grazing reserves around Abuja. “They are ready to move to the grazing reserves, provided the amenities are there. Education is the key component. We must ensure every child is in functional learning,” Kakale said.
But critics argue that such promises have been recycled by previous governments, with little or no impact. Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration rolled out the controversial “Ruga” settlement scheme and “National Livestock Transformation Plan,” both of which failed amid public resistance, poor funding, and lack of political will. Many Nigerians doubt that Tinubu’s government will succeed where others failed.
The National President of MACBAN, Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, acknowledged that his members were central to the crisis. He admitted that pastoralist children constitute the majority of Nigeria’s estimated 20 million out-of-school children.
“Eighty per cent of them belong to pastoralist children,” he said. “We want to make Abuja a model. That is why we invited stakeholders, including leaders from the six area councils of the FCT and families whose cows are roaming the streets. We want to hear from them, know what is bringing them into the city, and how we can stop it.”
He added that a committee would be set up to draft practical measures to end the practice.