Amid the Federal Government’s announcement of the Livestock Ministry creation, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria highlighted that Lagos State consumes approximately 6,000 cows daily.
MACBAN emphasized the significance of livestock trade to the regional economy given the high consumption volume.
The association revealed that about 8,000 cows are consumed daily in the entire southwestern region of Nigeria, with approximately 250 truckloads of cattle entering the area each day.
This indicates that Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Osun, and Ondo collectively consume around 2,000 cows daily.
These statistics were shared amidst ongoing discussions on the proposed Federal Government’s Ministry of Livestock Development.
In early July, President Bola Tinubu announced the potential establishment of a Ministry of Livestock Development at the State House in Abuja.
In an interview with NewsNow, MACBAN National President, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, suggested that opposition, particularly from southern regions, was largely sentimental.
He argued that the livestock sector, particularly cattle rearing, was predominantly managed by northerners, stressing that the economic benefits were more significant in the South, especially in Lagos.
“Our data indicates that Lagos consumes 6,000 cows on a daily basis. Just imagine the substantial benefits of processing that number of cows daily.
“Our records also show that 250 truckloads of cows, each carrying between 35 to 40 cows, enter the southwestern region of the country daily.
“Hence, the entire Southwest region consumes over 8,000 cows daily,” Othman-Ngelzarma explained.
Endorsing Othman-Ngelzarma, the National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabiru Ibrahim, underscored that the ministry’s creation was long overdue.
“The ministry is long overdue. Drawing from my tenure as the President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, I have witnessed that the ministry holds vast potential to enhance the economy. There should be no reason to oppose its establishment.
“The ministry’s formation is a positive step, provided there is a transparent process and resource management. For instance, there has always been an insufficiency of milk in Nigeria.
“We have been reliant on milk imports, and even now we continue to import. With a Livestock ministry, we can bolster milk production, decrease imports, and accelerate our economic growth.”