NASS Queries Zero Funding for Livestock Ministry, Demands Accountability at 2025 Budget Defence

NASS Queries Zero Funding for Livestock Ministry, Demands Accountability at 2025 Budget Defence

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Livestock Development on Friday raised alarm over the zero release of funds to the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development for the 2025 fiscal year, demanding detailed explanations on implementation plans and budget performance.

The high-level budget defence session was jointly chaired by Senator Shehu Buba and Hon. Wale Raji, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Livestock Development. Lawmakers stressed their constitutional responsibility to ensure prudent allocation, transparency, and effective utilisation of public resources.

Opening the hearing, Senator Buba described the engagement as a defining moment for Nigeria’s livestock reform agenda. He recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu established the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development on July 9, 2024, under the Renewed Hope Agenda to reposition the sector as a key driver of food security, employment generation, rural transformation, and national stability.

Citing Section 80(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Buba emphasised that no public funds should be withdrawn without proper appropriation and legislative oversight.

“This budget defence is not a routine exercise. We must interrogate allocations, scrutinise implementation capacity, and ensure value for money,” he said.

He noted that although Nigeria boasts one of the largest cattle populations in Africa, productivity remains low due to outdated production systems, weak veterinary services, poor feed and fodder infrastructure, and limited processing capacity. These structural challenges, he said, have contributed to recurring farmer-herder conflicts, rural insecurity, and heavy reliance on imported dairy and livestock products.

Zero Release for 2025

Presenting the ministry’s position, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed that while the ministry received a ₦75 billion take-off grant in 2024, only ₦20 billion was released and fully utilised for institutional setup and the execution of 40 projects.

He further explained that the ministry’s 2024 budget allocation stood at ₦11.8 billion, comprising ₦10 billion for capital expenditure and ₦1.8 billion for overhead costs.

However, Maiha confirmed that there has been no cash-backed release for the 2025 budget.

“For 2025, there has been zero performance because there has been zero release. We have been operating on the ₦20 billion previously disbursed from the take-off grant,” he stated.

Despite the funding constraints, the minister revealed that the ministry has developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aimed at formalising Nigeria’s largely informal livestock sector — estimated at about $32 billion — and integrating it into the formal economy.

Security, Reform and Strategic Investment

Maiha stressed that livestock development has direct implications for national security, noting that pastoral migration driven by inadequate access to feed and water resources has been a recurring source of conflict across the country.

He disclosed that the ministry has inventorised 417 grazing reserves and livestock service centres nationwide as part of efforts to transition toward structured, modern, and climate-smart livestock production systems.

Lawmakers at the hearing called for strategic investments in ranching development, feed and fodder production, water infrastructure, veterinary services, breeding programmes, processing facilities, and digital livestock identification systems.

They also underscored the need for robust legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as stronger collaboration with state governments to ensure effective implementation.

The committee reaffirmed its commitment to rigorous oversight, insisting that funds appropriated for the livestock sector must translate into measurable gains in productivity, food security, rural development, and national stability.