The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for neglecting them after his presidential victory in 2019.
The group has said that it backed and supported the president to achieve victory in the 2019 presidential election.
It said the president has decided not to fulfill his promise to them immediately he got elected.
This accusation was levelled against the president by the president of MACBAN president, Baba Ngelzarma while addressing journalists in Abuja, the capital of the country.
The president of the group said despite the huge amount of money to be allocated for agricultural development at state and federal government levels, nothing has been allocated to develop livestock farming in the country.
The president of the group said: “On the eve of the last election that brought in Buhari for the second term, we endorsed him. We showed the world that we are with him but thereafter, up till now as I speak to you, nothing has been done.
“Buhari has abandoned the pastoralists. This is very clear, whether Buhari or his lieutenants, the pastoralists have been abandoned by the government. In the last eight years, nothing tangible, while over N500 billion was spent on agronomy, nothing was spent on livestock, almost nothing.
“Go and check all the state government’s budgetary provisions including the federal government’s budgetary provisions. If you see what is budgeted for livestock, you will be surprised.
“Livestock is being neglected completely.”
The group’s president also said the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) is a great plan but not the solution to the problems facing animal producers in the country.
He added: “Only recently the Buhari administration started implementing the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) where some states have accessed the N3 billion, N6 billion funding.
“Some states started it, the one in Yola has started but we see it as a project that cannot solve the problem.
“How do you think a livestock centre that can accommodate not more than 20,000 cows can solve the problem of the cows in Adamawa that are over two million? But as a model, it is okay, we appreciate it. At least the pastoralists will see how to modernize animal husbandry.”
While reacting to the manner herdsmen rejected ranching, the MACBAN president said ranching is new to them as they are not used to it and they do not have knowledge about it.
He said: “Whatever mode of ranching that is being introduced into this country, these guys would hardly embrace it, the reason is it is alien to them as it is not capturing the reason they are rearing their cows.
“To them, the quality does not matter much, what matters much to them is the quantity. They also want to die and leave so many cows for their children to inherit.”