Budget Defence: NASS Not Satisfied With Zero Release of Fund to Livestock Ministry in 2025, Demands Accountability
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Livestock Development on Friday subjected the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development to intense scrutiny over the zero release of funds for its 2025 budget, demanding clarity on implementation strategies and sectoral reforms.
The joint session, chaired by Senator Shehu Buba and Hon. Wale Raji, Chairman of the House Committee on Livestock Development, reaffirmed the legislature’s constitutional mandate to ensure prudent allocation and utilisation of public resources.
In his opening remarks, Senator Buba described the session as a defining moment for Nigeria’s livestock reform agenda, recalling 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 driver of food security, job creation, rural development and national stability.
He stressed that pursuant to Section 80(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), no public funds can be withdrawn without legislative appropriation and oversight.
“This budget defence is not a routine exercise. We must interrogate allocations, examine implementation capacity and ensure value for money,” Buba said.
The lawmaker noted that despite Nigeria’s vast livestock assets — including one of the largest cattle populations in Africa — the sector remains underperforming due to outdated production systems, weak veterinary services, inadequate feed infrastructure and limited processing capacity.
According to him, these systemic gaps have contributed to recurring farmer-herder conflicts, rural insecurity and heavy dependence on imported dairy and livestock products.
Zero Release for 2025
Presenting the ministry’s position, 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 establishment and execution of 40 projects.
He further stated that the ministry’s 2024 budget stood at ₦11.8 billion — comprising ₦10 billion for capital expenditure and ₦1.8 billion for overhead costs.
However, he confirmed that no funds have been cash-backed for the 2025 fiscal year.
“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,” Maiha said.
Despite the funding constraints, the minister said the ministry had developed a National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy aimed at formalising Nigeria’s largely informal livestock sector, estimated at about $32 billion.
Security and Economic Reform Imperatives
Maiha emphasised that livestock development is intrinsically linked to national security, explaining that pastoral migration driven by inadequate access to feed and water has remained a recurring source of conflict across several states.
He revealed that the ministry has inventorised 417 grazing reserves and livestock service centres nationwide as part of efforts to transition to structured, modern and climate-smart livestock production systems.
Lawmakers at the hearing underscored the urgency of strategic investments in ranching development, feed and fodder production, water infrastructure, veterinary services, breeding programmes, processing facilities and digital livestock identification systems.
They also stressed the need for robust legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as strengthened collaboration with state governments, to ensure effective implementation and long-term sectoral transformation.
