During an inspection tour on Friday, June 13, 2025, the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has announced the Federal Government’s plans to revamp the Wawa-Zange Grazing Reserve in Gombe State.
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restoring grazing reserves and transforming them into functional and sustainable hubs for livestock development.
According to the Minister, the Wawa-Zange rehabilitation will cover critical infrastructure, including road networks, primary health care facilities, a veterinary clinic, classrooms, solar energy systems, and, most importantly, water for human and animal consumption.
Describing Wawa-Zange as a strategic asset, the Minister noted that the reserve spans 144,000 hectares and currently hosts over 5,000 herders engaged in farming and livestock rearing.
“By every standard, these residents deserve all the amenities that a modern grazing reserve should offer,” Mukhtar stated.
He further revealed that the reserve would be repurposed to support breed improvement centres, pasture cultivation, and other services that discourage seasonal migration of herders.
“Wawa-Zange should come back to life. We want this reserve to become a model of sustainability,” he said.
Regarding farmer-herder relations, the Minister emphasised a non-confrontational, collaborative approach. Instead of displacing farmers who have encroached on parts of the reserve, the government will encourage a system of shared land use, where farmers provide residual crop feed for the herders, while herders, in turn, supply manure to enrich the farmers’ soil.
Maiha noted that this mutually beneficial exchange aligns with the Ministry’s goal of promoting peaceful coexistence, reducing conflicts, and enhancing productivity across the livestock and crop value chains.
The Minister also paid a private courtesy visit to the Governor of Gombe State, His Excellency Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, to discuss areas of collaboration.
Building on the Federal Government’s National Livestock Growth Acceleration Plan (NL-GAS), which targets the rehabilitation of 417 grazing reserves nationwide, the Honourable Minister visited Wawa-Zange.
This visit follows the May 2025 launch of the Wase Livestock Village in Plateau State, a pioneering integrated livestock settlement.
Revising grazing reserves like Wawa-Zange is anticipated to create employment throughout livestock value chains, enhance food security, decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with migratory herding, and support Nigeria’s economic diversification efforts.
Source: FMLD
