The National Economic Council (NEC) presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has proposed a budget of N100 billion for the implementation of the National Livestock Transformation Plan.
The Council proposed that the Federal Government would bear 80 per cent of the N100 billion, while participating states would support with the balance of N20 billion and land for the programme.
Chairman of the sub-committee and Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, said this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting.
The Ebonyi State governor also said that the proposal was submitted, on Thursday, to the National Economic Council by its Sub-Committee on Farmers/Herders’ crisis.
Governor Umahi explained that contrary to the widely held belief, the NLTP was not about cattle alone, but had three planks, including care for persons displaced by farmers/herders’ crisis and education programmes.
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He added that states were also free to use any animals of their choice in implementing the programme.
Governor Umahi stressed that the programme remained voluntary and would accommodate only states that expressed participation interest.
Though no date has been fixed for effective take off of the programme, Governor Umahi explained that the proposed N100 billion would still be reviewed by the next meeting in October before a date is decided.
Meanwhile, Nigeria lost $1.3 billion worth of crude oil to theft and pipeline vandalism in the First Quarter of the year.
This was presented to NEC by the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, who chairs the 13-man NEC sub-committee mandated to investigate the impact of the attacks on oil installations in the creeks of the Niger Delta.
The committee warned that if the situation was not arrested immediately, losses could be as much as $2.7 billion by the end of the year.
