By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
The Emir of Muri in Taraba State, Dr. Abbas Njidda Tafida has called on the federal government to develop a sustainable national policy on livestock that could enhance economic growth and development, saying the livestock breeding strategy should also be put in place to improve productivity.
The emir who also decried absence of control in livestock movement as cows are sold for both meat and breeding at the same venue, similarly noted that factors facing feed production include in Nigeria include, land shortage, land degradation and in some cases desert encroachment, and inadequate or total absence of pasture development.
Dr, Abbas Tafida told the 11th Annual Meeting /Conference of the Animal Science Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Institute of Animal Science (ASAN-NIAS) just ended in Bauchi, also expressed worrisome that farmers and herders generally take cattle they suspect to be sick to the market, decried that people looking for breeding animals buy them without any form of certification, describing the situation as catastrophic.
Tafida therefore noted with concern that the Federal Government has not been paying the desired attention to issues affecting the production of the required number of animals that can complement the economic growth and development of the country, lamenting that 90 per cent of cattle, sheep and goats in Nigeria are in the hands of migrant Fulani herders whose literacy level is at the tail end of the national average.
The emir said, “Less than 20% of the herders have the basic education necessary for managerial skill development. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to be able to change the narratives positively. It is almost impossible to convince them to make long time investments that are necessary to establish pasture and develop pasture processing systems”.
He lamented that Nigeria has virtually no functional veterinary health control in abattoirs and slaughterhouses, as issues that need to be analyzed in the country’s animal production status include, feed, health, Livestock breeding, Livestock management, government control and leadership, and asked the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to drop old rules and address issues of national development.
According to him, in order to boost animal production, land should be doubled, and there should be the introduction and development of irrigation skills, while water management skills should be developed, including the provision of simple earth dams and boreholes as well as the introduction of more productive pasture and fodders trees.
He gave the ideal pastures as Super Nappier, Paradoa, BRS Quenya, and Bracheria SABA. Fodder trees are Gliricidia, Dagasaste, Leucanea and Sesbania Dwaff high-density mangoes, saying a situation where Nigerian cows are giving less than 1 litter of milk per cow on average, while the world average is 10 liters per cow in a day, calls for concerns of all.
He lamented that the weight gain of sheep and goats in the country is 50 grams per day against a maximum of 250 grams per day in well-fed breeds, expressing regret that Nigeria imports the equivalent of 500 million litres of milk in powder annually, describing Nigeria as the highest importer of milk powder in the world.
The monarch recalled that he has been making efforts for the past five years to bring into Nigeria, the Brazilian cows but to no avail due to unfavourable conditions in the country, regretting that those in leadership positions today spends too much time on meetings, and other unproductive indulgences instead of spending time observing problems that can be easily seen, consulting professionals and well-intentioned to identify problems and proffer solutions”.
The Emir told the conference with the theme; ‘Animal Production in Nigeria, Current Status and Way Forward’ pointing out that “Our animal production sector in agriculture is the biggest victim of this error of leadership”, observing that the tool and tasks of the scientist are intelligent and patient observations, coupled with an honest effort to develop the most useful reactions to facts gathered.
“How did we find ourselves in this? The answer is clear; it is caused by the failure of our leaders to pay attention to issues at stake at each point in time. The easiest way to improve all aspects of life in Nigeria in the area of animal production is for all the citizens to become animal scientists. Animal production status in Nigeria is the worst evidence of the country’s economic failure as a nation.
The emir said the first point of science which is mainly observation, assessment and problem-solving, “Every science person should be able to observe nature and make useful recommendations, everybody should make effort to be a scientist at his own level and that’s the scientist I am”, he said, expressing optimism that at the end of the conference, the participants would work hard to determine the best course of action that can serve the national interest.
