The Presidency described Jega’s appointment as a significant step forward in Tinubu’s efforts to address long-standing issues in Nigeria’s livestock industry.
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Attahiru Jega, a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as Adviser and Coordinator for the Presidential Livestock Reforms Initiative.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, announced the news in a statement on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Jega’s appointment is an important step in Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to address long-standing issues in Nigeria’s livestock sector.
Prior to his appointment, Jega served as co-chair of the presidential livestock reform implementation committee.
In 2024, the President pledged that his administration would transform the country’s livestock sector into a commercial industry.
He lamented that the country had long neglected large-scale commercial livestock farming, pointing out that Nigeria would have benefited greatly if the sector had not been neglected.
Tinubu approved the establishment of the livestock committee in 2023 to address herder-farmer conflicts and strengthen the livestock and dairy industries.
After receiving a report from the national conference on livestock reforms and conflict resolution in Nigeria, he formed a committee to propose long-term solutions.
The President then approved the formation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and appointed Idi Mukhtar Maiha as Minister.
