Daniel Adaji
The Federal Government has announced plans to rehabilitate 13 livestock facilities in Benue State as part of a broader strategy to restore peace and drive economic growth in the state.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this on Wednesday at the inauguration of the Benue State Commission for Peace and Reconciliation during the Benue Peace Summit held in Makurdi.
Maiha said many of the livestock facilities, established over four decades ago, are currently in disrepair, limiting their potential to contribute meaningfully to the state’s economy and peace-building efforts.
He announced the Federal Government’s readiness to partner with the Benue State Government under a Public-Private Partnership model to rehabilitate and modernise the facilities into functional Livestock Service Centres.
According to him, the assets slated for revival include the Yandev Pig Progeny Centre, small ruminant ranches, abandoned abattoirs, pasture development areas and other livestock production facilities across the state.
The minister said the initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s broader commitment to addressing farmer-herder conflicts and other security challenges through structural, economically driven solutions.
“We acknowledge the immense pain and loss that the people of Benue have endured. The farmer-herder conflicts and other forms of social instability have not only claimed lives and displaced communities, but have also cast a long shadow over the state’s vibrant agricultural landscape, threatening its identity as the ‘Food Basket of the Nation,’” he said.
Maiha added that conflicts arising from open grazing, cattle rustling and reprisals require practical frameworks that transform livestock production into a vehicle for prosperity rather than conflict.
“What we are preaching today is that part of the mission of this Peace Commission is to stabilise the countryside through practical mechanisms and frameworks that transform livestock into a vehicle for prosperity, not conflict,” he stated.
He conveyed the goodwill of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to supporting Benue in achieving sustainable peace.
In his address, Governor Hyacinth Alia, represented by his deputy, described the Benue State Strategic Plan for Peace and Reconciliation (2026–2030) as a homegrown roadmap developed through extensive consultations. He said the plan aims to build a peaceful, secure and stable Benue where conflicts are resolved through dialogue and justice, with strengthened early warning and prevention mechanisms.
Stakeholders at the summit, including development partners and traditional leaders, emphasised the need for coordinated action to ensure the safe return of internally displaced persons and the revitalisation of rural economies.
The rehabilitation of the 13 livestock facilities, the minister noted, is expected to create jobs for youths across the livestock value chain, from pig breeding and small ruminant fattening to modern abattoirs, feedlot estates and pasture cultivation, while reinforcing long-term stability in the state.
