The Federal Government has set up a new Technical Sub-Committee under the National Economic Council (NEC) to drive the development of Nigeria’s livestock sector.

This aims to boost economic growth, improve food security, and strengthen unity across the country.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, announced this yesterday during the first meeting of the sub-committee at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

The minister said the team was created to harmonise existing policies and ideas and turn them into a clear and practical plan that the National Economic Council can approve and begin to carry out without delay.

He said the NEC had formed a high-level committee on livestock development, led by Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris.

The committee, the minister said, comprises governors from the six geopolitical zones, key ministers, and the co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Livestock Development.

But because of the busy schedules of governors and the urgent need to move quickly, the NEC, Bagudu said, has agreed to create a smaller technical team that would handle the detailed work and speed up the process.

“Our task is not to reinvent the wheel. A considerable body of work already exists. What is required now is to distil these reports into a clear, practical implementation roadmap that the National Economic Council can adopt without delay,” Bagudu said.

The minister stated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s personal interest in livestock development, describing it as a part of a broader shift in how the country sees agriculture and economic growth.

He said the President viewed livestock not as a small or side activity but as a major part of Nigeria’s plan to improve food production, create jobs, and grow the economy.

“Mr. President has consistently said that livestock is not a marginal activity but a central economic driver for food security, agricultural productivity, and inclusive growth. His decision to personally chair the Presidential Committee on Livestock Development reflects this clarity of purpose,” Bagudu said.

The minister alluded to the creation of a separate Ministry of Livestock Development as a sign that the government now treats the sector as a key part of the economy rather than just a section under agriculture.

He explained that the President’s work with the National Economic Council fitted into Nigeria’s federal system, where the federal, state, and local governments share the responsibility for agriculture and food security, including livestock.

“Livestock development requires collaboration across all tiers of government. As the institution mandated to coordinate national development planning, this ministry serves as the secretariat of our federal system, ensuring that national plans, budgets, and programmes are aligned, mutually reinforcing, and implemented collaboratively rather than in isolation,” he said.

Bagudu listed several funding and support programmes that states and communities can benefit from.

These, the minister said, include the World Bank-backed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project, NG-CARES, the Nigeria for Women Programme, and the Renewed Hope Ward-Based Development Plan.

He explained that the ward-based plan is designed to identify and support business and economic opportunities in all 8,809 wards across the country.

Bagudu advised state commissioners to take full responsibility for the process.

The minister noted that when the NEC accepts the committee’s recommendations, it will make it easier for states and local governments to commit more resources.

He added that clear and stable policies would also attract development partners, impact investors, and private businesses by reducing risks and building confidence in the sector.

Bagudu also spoke about the tensions that sometimes surround livestock production in different parts of the country.

According to him, the work of the sub-committee should help in changing how people see the sector, turning it into a source of shared prosperity instead of conflict.

The director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Dr. Sampson Ebimaro, described the meeting as an important step in moving forward the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.

He said food security is closely connected to economic growth and national development.

The director added that the ministry remained committed to coordinating efforts across the country to achieve lasting results.

The meeting brought together key officials and experts involved in agriculture, planning, and livestock development.

Those present included Senator Bagudu, as chairman of the sub-committee; Dr. Sampson Ebimaro, representing the Permanent Secretary; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness, Mr. Kingsley Uzoma; the Cross River State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Dr. Michael Odere; the Kebbi State Commissioner for Budget and Planning Dr. Abba Kalgo; and the Niger State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Mustapha Ndajiwo.

Others were the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Gloria Ahmed; the National Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Dr. Sanusi Abubakar; the Executive Director of Niger Foods, Mr. Ola Oloyede; a livestock systems specialist and policy adviser, Dr Winnie Lai-Solarin; and the Minister of Livestock, Alhaji Idi Maiha.

With the new technical team now in place, the government says the next step is to turn years of research, policies, and reports into a clear action plan that can help modernise livestock production, improve the lives of farmers and herders, and support Nigeria’s wider goals of economic growth and national stability.