President Tinubu Approves N120bn for Gombe Agro-Livestock Project
By Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the sum of N120 billion to support Gombe State’s ambitious Agro-Livestock Development Project and other related agricultural initiatives, aimed at boosting food security, job creation, and economic growth in line with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muktar Maiha, made the disclosure during the groundbreaking ceremony of the 184-hectare Agro-Livestock Development Zone in Gombe.
He commended Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his visionary leadership, noting that the project aligns with the Tinubu administration’s Livestock Transformation Agenda.
According to the minister, the integrated agro-livestock zone will include an ultramodern abattoir, an international cattle market a tannery eather processing facilities, and a dry inland port.
In the same vain, the facility is expected to process 500 bulls 1,000 small ruminants and 3,000 poultry birds daily translating to over 1.6 million animals annually.
Idi Maiha, said the project is not just a milestone for Gombe, but a strategic move to boost Nigeria’s livestock value chain.
In his remarks, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, described the project as a historic turning point for Gombe’s agro-economy.
He revealed that N60 billion of the approved federal funds has already been accessed to begin infrastructure development in the zone.
He noted that over 80% of the people are involved in agriculture and livestock and the project will restore Gombe’s historic role as a regional hub for grain and livestock trade.
The Governor also unveiled a separate N50 billion canalization project to divert water from River Gongola to the Wawa-Zange Grazing Reserve, a move expected to benefit over one million pastoralists directly and over five million people indirectly.
As part of the livestock transformation plan, Gombe State has implemented several reforms, including mass vaccination campaigns, formation of milk cooperatives, over 70 solar-powered boreholes, and upgrades to veterinary infrastructure.
Yahaya also announced that the contract for the abattoir, worth N7.5 billion, has been awarded to Lubell Nigeria Limited with a nine-month completion target.
Speaking at the event, the National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria MACBAN, Alhaji Baba Othman Ngelzarma praised the governor’s inclusive policies, especially in addressing herder-farmer conflicts through dispute resolution mechanisms and grazing reserve revitalization.
Earlier, Commissioner for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Mr. Barnabas Malle said the Yahaya administration has provided consistent support to agricultural programmes aimed at transforming the sector in the state.
- The Gombe Agro-Livestock Development Project is expected to stimulate industrial growth, enhance food processing capacity, and create thousands of jobs across the livestock and agricultural value chains.