Abuja
Presidency, MACBAN in Dialogue to End Cows Roaming Abuja Streets
The Presidency on Friday held a dialogue with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) as part of efforts to end the movement of cows through the streets of Abuja’s city centre.
The meeting, convened at the instance of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who is Chairman of MACBAN’s Board of Trustees, and the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, brought together stakeholders and leaders of the association from Abuja and surrounding states.
Speaking at the forum, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Livestock Development, Idris Abiola-Ajimobi, said the Tinubu administration remained committed to addressing challenges faced by pastoralists.
“We are here for a stakeholder engagement meeting to let livestock stakeholders understand the efforts being made by the administration of President Tinubu. We are working on grazing reserves, ranches, and Special Agro Industrial Processing Zones. We are also reviving grazing reserves and providing feeds, water, veterinary clinics and other amenities for pastoralists,” he said.
Also, Dr. Balarabe Kakale, Special Assistant to the Minister of Education on Almajiri and Out-of-School-Children Education, said the meeting considered how the Federal Ministry of Education’s initiatives could support pastoralist communities.
He noted that pastoralists expressed readiness to move into designated grazing reserves in the FCT, provided necessary amenities such as water, power, veterinary services, and nomadic schools are available.
MACBAN’s National President, Baba Othman-Ngelzarma, said the dialogue specifically addressed concerns about cattle roaming the city centre and the education of pastoralist children.
“Out of about 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, we believe 80 percent are from pastoralist families. We want to make Abuja a model and see how solutions here can be replicated,” he said.
Othman-Ngelzarma added that a committee would be established to work on practical measures to stop cattle movement in Abuja’s streets.
The dialogue ended with a resolution by stakeholders to collaborate with government on sustainable grazing solutions and inclusive education programmes for pastoralist families.
Report from News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
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