The Federal Government selects Nasarawa, FCT, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Adamawa for its pilot National Ranching Policy, with Livestock Minister Idi Maiha declaring open grazing "no longer sustainable."
Abuja — August 13, 2026
The Federal Government has selected Nasarawa State, the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Adamawa for a pilot phase of its new National Ranching Policy, in a move aimed at ending open grazing and the recurring farmer-herder conflicts it has fuelled across the country.
Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, disclosed the selection after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.
The pilot programme will begin at the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau State, with all six selected areas described as among those hit hardest by farmer-herder violence in recent years.
Maiha said the government's decision reflects a recognition that the country's long-standing system of open, nomadic grazing has become increasingly untenable as grazing routes have disappeared under the pressure of farming expansion, urbanisation, and infrastructure development.
According to the minister, large herds of cattle constantly on the move have become inherently crisis-prone under these conditions, prompting the need for a fundamentally different approach to livestock management.
Under the proposed system, pastoralists would raise cattle within designated ranches equipped with feed, water, veterinary services, schools, and healthcare facilities, rather than moving herds across open terrain in search of grazing land. Rather than transporting feed to roaming cattle, Maiha said the new approach favours cultivating specially developed, nutritionally optimised grasses directly within the ranches themselves.
The minister also framed the ranches as potential economic hubs in their own right, arguing that concentrating tens of thousands of cattle in a single, well-serviced location could draw milk processors, abattoirs, and other livestock-related investment to the areas.
As part of the wider transformation agenda, the government is rolling out a nationwide livestock tagging system using radio frequency technology, intended to track animal location and ownership, curb cattle rustling, and build a comprehensive national livestock database.
Maiha said seven model veterinary clinics have already been established nationwide, with plans to build at least one model veterinary hospital in every state.
He added that roughly 20 states have already set up dedicated livestock ministries or agencies, which he characterised as a sign of growing buy-in for the federal livestock transformation agenda.
President Tinubu, according to the minister, described the potential of the livestock sector's value chains as substantial, encouraging Nigerians to explore investment opportunities in the space.
The push toward ranching over open grazing has been a recurring, often contentious policy proposal in Nigeria for years, with previous iterations — including the National Livestock Transformation Plan and earlier RUGA settlement proposals, facing resistance in various states.
The selection of Nasarawa, Plateau, and Benue in particular is notable given that all three states have recorded some of the country's deadliest farmer-herder and communal clashes in recent months, making them a critical test of whether the ranching model can meaningfully reduce the violence that has displaced hundreds of thousands of residents across Nigeria's North Central region.
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