The federal government has commenced the relocation of about 30,000 heads of cattle from Abuja city centre to the Kawu grazing reserve in Bwari area council.
Idi Maiha, minister of livestock development, commissioned a solar-powered borehole at the 9,000-hectare reserve on Saturday to kick-start the pilot project.
The minister said the initiative is part of efforts to stop the movement of cattle and herders within the city centre and to transform Kawu into a model of sustainable livestock development.
He said the reserve will accommodate more than 10,000 herders and their families, adding that the government is working on critical infrastructure, including a 15-kilometre road, schools, health facilities, irrigation systems, markets and security posts.
Maliha said: “Today, we are here at Kawu grazing reserve to put commitment to those pronouncements. These were not empty promises. Here today, we have come with a bag full of commitment, dedication, and passion.
“This grazing reserve is about 9,000 hectares of land, and it has, from our own estimation, about 30,000 heads of cattle with more than 10,000 human beings. We are saying that this grazing reserve is going to come alive.”
The minister said his ministry has signed an agreement with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to provide solar power to the settlements and is engaging the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Ministry of Health to deliver schools and primary healthcare centres.
He added that the dam within the reserve will be desilted and converted for irrigation and pasture cultivation, while security agencies will be deployed to protect lives and property.
Maiha described the initiative as a practical step in implementing President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” and turning the reserve into an economic hub for livestock, dairy, meat and organic manure production.
Senior Special adviser to the President on Livestock Development, Idris Abiola-Ajimobi, disclosed that N13 billion was approved in the 2024 budget for livestock development, with additional funding secured from development partners.
He said the Kawu reserve is a pilot project that will be scaled up to other states as part of the rehabilitation of 417 grazing reserves nationwide.
Khalil Mohammed Bello, national president of the Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), said herders are ready to move to the reserve.
“We are now extremely happy for being among the people who are enjoying the laudable project of this government policies and programme. We are ready to relocate to the Kawu grazing reserve. We accept it in totality,” Bello said.