Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, says National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) of the Federal Government is projected to create about two million jobs if implemented successfully across the country.
Osinbajo stated this at 2022 Livestock and Aquaculture Trade Fair organised by Linkers Continental Resources Limited in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday at Alausa, Lagos.
The vice president was represented by Mrs Efosa Onyezebe, Delivery Advisor, National Livestock Transformation Plan, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Agriculture.
He said the project would create dynamic sectors that would provide jobs.
He said that the policy was to transform the environment that would lead to peaceful co-existence, economy development and food security for the entire population.
He urged private investors to take advantage of the large investment opportunity in the livestock sector as the population increases.
According to him, as the population increases, there is a great opportunity for our private investors here in the country to tap into in the livestock industry.
“we are projecting that should this project get the support of everybody in this country and is implemented successfully, about two million jobs will be created in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is a land with large opportunity, the agriculture sector has huge opportunity and the livestock sector predominantly has very huge opportunity because the demand for meat and dairy products continually grow exponentially.
“Therefore, there is no need for the livestock sector to radically transform to respond to the increasing demands for meat and dairy products,” he said.
The vice president said that agriculture contributes has consistently contributed about 40 per cent of the country’s GDP, adding that the sector remain the largest contributor of to non-oil growth.
Speaking of the National Livestock Transformation Plan, Osinbajo said that the Federal Government would soon began training for Lagos state team on the implementation of the plan in the state.
“The model of the programme is to work with state, the federal and state govrrnment working in partnership for the livestock sector to be modernised.
“Moving the sector from nomadic to mechanised ranching system.
This will contribute largely to peace building in the county, reduce conflict resolution.
“Lagos state government has already indicated interest to be part of this programme. We are going to come in and the government will choose and identify the team that will be part of the state livestock team.
“We will then come in and train them on how to setup the NLTP in their state and we will work with them continuously. We are waiting for the next step and once we have conversation with them, probably in few months, we will start the training,” he said.
He added said the NLTP would create about 2million jobs upon implementation, adding that 22 states had already indicated interest in it.
He said the project has started in four states Adamawa, Kaduna, Pleteau and Nasarawa. The pilot project is on going now.
“Twenty-two states have indicated interest to be part of the programme.
Dr Mahmood Abubakar
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said the major problem hindering the promotion and development of the livestock and aquaculture industry in Nigeria was none availability of parent stock, prime feds and scarcity of fish fingerlings.
Abubakar was represented by Mrs Omolara Oguntuyi, Zonal Director, South-West, Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
The minister added that if an enabling environment was created, livestock and aquaculture production could play a significant role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty and hunger.
“A nation should be able to feed her population in order to occupy a place of pride in the community of nations.
“Nigeria is a country richly blessed with abundant natural and human resources that if properly harnessed can feed its people and export the surpluses to other countries to generate more revenue
“We have to develop our fishing industry; we cannot be dependent on importation.
“God did not make a mistake when He gave us the Atlantic Ocean and those lakes we have, it is only a prodigal child that will have resources and will not use it and instead be looking at what others have.
“We have cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, rabbit, snail, tilapia and catfish among others that we can
promote.
“The only thing that is unacceptable is for Nigeria to be totally dependent on other countries for animal protein source when we have land and water we are not making use of.
“The time is ripe for us to revolutionise agriculture in Nigeria especially in the livestock and aquaculture development and the youths should be the bedrock of our
drive to transform this sector in agriculture.
In her remark, Ms Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture the fair provides stakeholders an opportunity for interaction between farmers and input suppliers to facilitate knowledge sharing of local farm produce.
Olusanya was represented by Mrs Tokunbo Emokpae, Permanent Secretary in the ministry.
She called for collaborations with private sector investors and multilateral donor agencies to make food systems more sustainable and resilient in the face of global food shortages.
She said food shortage globally was occasioned by climate change and other socio-economic factors.
She added that sustainable livestock, aquaculture and indeed agricultural development as a whole, was a journey the state government cannot embark on alone.
“As a Government, we are not relenting in our efforts to ramp up food production and processing so as to meet the identified gap ,” she said.
Pastor Temitope Oluwadipe, the organiser of the trade fair said the echibition waas to bring professionals and stakeholders together to package a recovery plaan for the sector.
He said te fair is a call to revitilise the major component of agriculture and garanttee food security