By; Mohammed Kawu, Bauchi
A State Ministry for Livestock Development is soon to be created in Bauchi, aimed at tapping the potentialities avail in the sector in the state to promote economic growth and development, and boost food and nutrition security.
The State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed said that the proposed new ministry which is billed to be created within one month, would also have it’s establishment providing job opportunities for the teeming unemployed.
He made the disclosure Wednesday in Bauchi while receiving the Presidential Livestock Reform Implementation Committee led by its Co-chair and former INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega at the Government House, Bauchi.
Governor Bala told the committee which was appointed and being chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that “We will establish a ministry of livestock so as to be compatible with what the federal government is doing”.
The Governor who explained that the ministry establishment would leverage on more specific and peculiar basis, as he directed the state system to establish a new ministry of livestock in the state.
According to him, the Executive would collaborate with the Legislative arm of government to ensure the speedy establishment of the new ministry, stressing “The proposed ministry must carry the teeth of sustainability, and there must be a law that would make it more sustainable, because the two arms have alot of synergy between them”.
Mohammed told the Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Yakubu Suleiman who was also at the occasion, “Again we are also going to set up with your permission, a committee on livestock reform implementation. This is our work, we have to do it, we have to provide the institutional framework”.
Turning to the Presidential livestock Committee Co-chair Jega, the Governor said, “I will direct the deputy governor to make sure we bring out competent people that would do the job. And in bringing out the people, we would work with your committee, so that we will know about the livestock sector which is multi-dimentional”.
The Governor further explained that the state government would bring in people around the value chains across the state, and other people across the line, so that everybody will be involved with the idea, to make sure we engender interest and development in the livestock sector.
Speaking earlier, the presidential livestock reform implementation committee co-chair, Professor Attahiru Jega commended initiative of Governor Bala whom, he recalled, after the committee’s meeting with northern governors in Kaduna on 28th October this year, was the first to sent a high delegation to the committee in Abuja where he extended an invitation to Bauchi for discussions on how best to improve the livestock sector in the state.
Prof Jega who explained that the 25-member presidential committee’s being in Bauchi Wednesday was as a result of that invitation, said that they resolved to go round the states to engage with the local communities, and enlight them about the federal government’s intents, and what are the sub-nationals’ proposals in the context of this national framework, as well as to generate additional recommendations and ideas from the stakeholders.
The Committee’s Co-chair described the reform implementation’s modus-operandi as a bottom-up approach with stakeholders involvement and engagement, and appropriate inclusivity as the best to formulate policies and implement projects that could be beneficial to the generality of people.
Jega conclusively told the Governor, “We believe you in particular, and many of your colleagues in the northern states become the driving force for the implementation of the livestock reform, and urged him to provide the leadership direction that is required”.
About The Author
