Tuesday February 10, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
President Bola Tinubu on Monday reiterated his expectation that the National Economic Council conference would produce actionable resolutions on ranching, livestock investment, and agricultural diversification.
Tinubu said he would play his part in ensuring the reforms are delivered.
Speaking at the opening of the two-day NEC conference at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the President linked the imperative for livestock sector transformation to national security, describing banditry and terrorism as economic hindrances requiring immediate solutions.
“I’m confident that the resolution of this conference will include dairy farming, livestock investment, ranches and diversification of our agricultural produce.
“I promise you here that I’ll play my part. Seven zones of mechanisation are coming. I promise Nigerians that this will be delivered, and I am here again to further find ways to strengthen our security forces and defeat terrorism.
“That, I promise you, is what has kept all of us sleepless at night, but I assure you we will win with determination and resilience. We will overcome this unacceptable terrorism and banditry. It’s not part of our culture. It’s foreign to us,” Tinubu said.
The President’s remarks follow his earlier directive to Vice President Kashim Shettima and the NEC on December 10, 2025, to develop a roadmap for transforming Nigeria’s livestock industry through ranching as a lasting solution to persistent farmer-herder conflicts.
At the December 10 Federal Executive Council meeting, Tinubu had tasked Shettima, who chairs the NEC, to sensitise governors and stakeholders on implementing ranching reforms, while directing the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, to identify villages and grazing areas that could be rehabilitated into modern ranches.
“We must eliminate these areas of conflict and make the livestock reform economically viable. The opportunity is there, let’s utilise it,” the President had said at the FEC meeting.
Following that directive, the NEC at its 155th meeting held on December 18, 2025, inaugurated a Livestock Development Committee chaired by Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, with representatives from all six geopolitical zones, to fast-track nationwide ranching and livestock production reforms.
At Monday’s conference, Tinubu also pledged further commitment to strengthening security forces to defeat terrorism and banditry, which he said had kept Nigerians sleepless.
The President described insecurity as an economic hindrance, stressing that all hands must be on deck to find an immediate solution.
He described banditry as foreign to Nigerian culture and unacceptable, saying, “This banditry and terrorism are unacceptable. It is not part of our culture. It is foreign to us. It is an economic hindrance if we do not find an immediate solution to it.”
The President’s remarks come against the backdrop of deadly bandit attacks across multiple states, particularly the February 3 massacre in Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama Local Government Area, Kwara State, where at least 162 residents were killed by suspected Islamic extremists.
The attackers reportedly targeted the communities after residents rejected their demand to adopt a hardline version of Sharia law.
At least 38 people, mostly women and children, were abducted, while over 50 were hospitalised.
The same day, bandits killed at least 20 people in Doma communities in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, following the collapse of a community-driven peace arrangement.
Welcoming state governors, ministers, members of the National Assembly, development partners and private sector leaders to the two-day conference, Tinubu described the gathering as a reflection of collective dedication to national progress.
He praised the NEC, chaired by Vice President Shettima, for sustaining a vital platform for policy coordination and strategic dialogue.
“I am pleased to address the second edition of the National Economic Council Conference at a critical moment in Nigeria’s development journey. NEC remains a cornerstone of fiscal federalism and economic governance in our country,” he said.
The President particularly commended the governors of Borno, Katsina and Kaduna states, as well as others, for doing “so much to defend our freedom, liberty and our commonwealth.”
Highlighting the key achievements of his administration thus far, Tinubu said the economic reforms undertaken since inception had helped stabilise the economy and restore confidence.
“I must say again at this juncture, the monetary policy that we have embarked on since the reforms has yielded positive results and gained recognition around the world,” he noted.
He commended the Central Bank of Nigeria under Governor Yemi Cardoso for restoring confidence in Nigeria’s monetary policy.
President Tinubu said state and local governments now receive increased, more predictable federal allocations, enhancing their capacity to pay salaries, invest in infrastructure, and deliver social services.
He added that infrastructure development across transportation, power, digital connectivity, housing and irrigation had been prioritised.
Shettima presided over the remaining session of the conference convened by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, under the theme ‘Delivering Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development: The Renewed Hope National Development Plan.’
The two-day conference, which continues on Tuesday, addressed pressing macroeconomic priorities including fiscal coordination, investment mobilisation, and shared development strategies between federal and state governments.
(PUNCH)