Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have called for a review of the implementation arrangements of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) to define roles and responsibilities of private sector, Federal and State Governments.

Some of the stakeholders made the call on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2022 summit on NLTP organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural in collaboration with Agriculture Correspondents of Nigeria (ACAN) in Abuja.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations representative in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero, said such reviews will fast track its implementation, monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability for the results.

Kafeero also called on the need for a strong institutional set up to drive national level implementation in a coordinated manner.

He said the measure would fast track its implementation, monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability for the results.

He further called for the strengthening of advocacy and public awareness about the NLTP, which is critical in building stakeholders’ understanding and clarifying public perceptions about the Plan.

Speaking, Dr Andrew Kwasari, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, said the Federal Government in collaboration with States have begun the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) 2019 to 2028.

He said to resolve the lingering crises between farmers and herders as well as reposition the livestock sector in the country.

According to him, 22 States have sent letters of express interest to the office of the Chairman of National Economic Council and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and only 10 States have set up the States Livestock Transformation Office.

He noted that states doing so well include Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa and Kaduna.

Winnie Tai-Solarin, Director of the Animal Husbandry Department FMARD, said that the Summit was designed to address the misconceptions about the NLTP and to map the way forward.

She said in 2019, the Federal Government had inaugurated a 10- year NLTP (2019-2028), as an alternative to open grazing of cattle, to prevent and end the lingering crises between herders and farmers, which have claimed many lives.

The Chairman of ACAN, Oba Olasukanmi noted that the livestock sector can empower rural women and youth, improve natural resource-use efficiency, and increase the resilience of households to cope with climate change.

“An FAO report, states that livestock contributes 40 per cent of the global value of agricultural output and supports the livelihoods, food and nutrition security of almost 1.3 billion people.

“In Nigeria, livestock play a major role in sustainable food systems, according to experts, the country’s livestock sector has a huge economic potential worth over N33 trillion, such a sector should never be ignored.

”Development of policies like the National Livestock Breed Improvement Programme (NALBIP), National Livestock Transformation Plan among others are welcome ideas,” he said.

The NLTP is a scheme adopted by the National Executive Council (NEC) on Jan.18, 2019.

It is an initiative designed to partner with interested state governments to provide land for livestock farmers to practice their profession.

The Federal Government has charged cooks under its National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) in Jigawa to ensure they prepare quality and hygienic meals for pupils in the state.

Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, gave the charge during the training of 54 cooks in Dutse on Wednesday.

Umar-Farouk, represented by Badayi Mukhtar, the Assistant Director of Finance in the ministry, said that the training was to ensure that the cooks prepared their meals under the most hygienic conditions with nutritional value.

“This training is to ensure that the cooks prepare their food under the most hygienic form and also ensure that they include the nutritional value to it.

“We understand that in the past, the cooks usually prepared the meals without any standard guidelines.

“That is why the ministry brought in consultants to teach them on the need to include nutritional value to their meals, as well as cook them under the most hygienic process,” Umar-Farouk said.

She assured them that the ministry would not compromise on the quality and quantity of meals served to pupils in the country.

Also speaking, the Focal Person on Social Investment Programme in the state, Mustapha Umar, said that the training was imperative as the Federal Government was trying to make the programme sustainable.

Umar said that the gesture would go a long way to check malnutrition among pupils in the state.

“This training is necessary at this particular time for its sustainability.

“This is because there will be a change of government after the 2023 elections.

“Therefore, we want a situation whereby the incoming administration will adopt and continue the feeding programme.

“That’s why the training focused on hygienic and nutritional element of the meal in its entire preparation,” Umar said.

He said that the gesture would also ensure the consumption of healthy foods by the pupils, thereby checking malnutrition among children across the state.

He, therefore, enjoined the cooks to be mindful of the hygienic nature of the meal and water served to the pupils.

The focal person said that 54 cooks selected from each of the 27 local government areas of the state, participated in the training.

According to Umar, the participants are expected to step down the training to other cooks in their respective areas.

Some of the trainees, Rabia Sa’idu and Na’ima Usman, lauded the ministry and the state office for the training.

They promised to enhance their operations through the knowledge acquired.

Usman urged the government and other stakeholders to ensure the reduction in prices of food items and other commodities needed to prepare the meals.

“We don’t have any challenge with regards to our payment or any other aspect of our operation.

“The major problem is the skyrocketing prices of food items.

“So, we want the government to ensure that the prices of food items are stable and affordable,” Usman said.

Buba Marwa, the chairman of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, has said he has asked for permission to conduct drug tests as part of the screening of ruling All Progressives Congress candidates for the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Marwa, who spoke at an award event for NDLEA officers in Abuja on Wednesday afternoon, said he hopes other political parties will also participate in the exercise.

Bola Tinubu, Yemi Osinbajo and Rotimi Amaechi are among APC politicians who have declared their intention to run for president.

How Mr Marwa planned to carry out the exercise was not immediately clear, but his proposal might be due to previous charges of drug use among politicians.

In the early 1990s, Mr Tinubu, a former Lagos governor, was arrested and charged with trafficking heroin and other hard drugs in the United States. He forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars to the U.S. government following his indictment at the time. He denies wrongdoing.

Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for the NDLEA, told correspondents additional details of the drug test for politicians will be made public later.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said he served all his principals with utmost loyalty during their difficult moments.

Osinbajo was the Attorney General of Lagos State when Bola Tinubu was the governor, from 1999 to 2007.

Presently, he is the second-in-command to President Muhammadu Buhari, who chose him as his running mate in 2015 and 2019.

As the 2023 presidential election draws closer, Osinbajo has declared his interest to take over from his principal, Buhari.

But, his ambition seems to be clashing with that of his former principal, Tinubu, who is also interested in the presidency, calling it a lifelong ambition.

Many have since tagged Osinbajo a betrayer, saying he ought not to jostle for the presidency when he was aware Tinubu is also eyeing the office.

However, Osinbajo has subtly replied those describing him as a betrayer, revealing that he has never betrayed any of those he served.

According to him, he stood with all his principals when their jobs and lives were being threatened.

In some cases, the Vice President said he was the only one standing when others have left those principals.

A support group for presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, has said it would secure not less than 14 million votes from the South-West geopolitical zone for the aspirant at the 2023 presidential election.

The group, South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), expressed optimism that Mr Tinubu would pull a huge percentage of votes in the region not minding the presence of other aspirants from the South west.

The chairman of the group and former senator, Adedayo Adeyeye, stated this when he led some members of the organisation on a courtesy visit to PREMIUM TIMES’ head office in Abuja on Tuesday.

SWAGA, he said, was formed to consolidate Mr Tinubu’s agenda and that of the people of the South-west. He also said membership of the group cuts across party lines.