The Federal Government has commenced infrastructural development at the Kawu Grazing Reserve in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
During an inspection tour of the ongoing projects at the reserve over the weekend, the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said the government's initiative to develop and revitalise grazing reserves across the country--starting with the FCT--could not be delayed any further.
The minister disclosed that after consultations with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and the Sultan of Sokoto, a decision was reached for Abuja herders to comply with relocation measures that would move cattle currently roaming the city centre into the grazing reserve.
"Today, 20th of September, 2025, we are here at Kawu Grazing Reserve to make a commitment to those pronouncements. These were not empty promises. Here today, we have come with a bag full of commitment, dedication and passion. We have inspected a dam which, we believe, will serve as a source of water supply during the dry season in this area.
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"This grazing reserve is about 9,000 hectares of land, and hosts more than 10,000 people, with an estimated 30,000 cattle. The dam will be converted into a water source for dry season pasture cultivation.
"We also brought a rig to sink the first borehole since the grazing reserve was created and this is a pilot project. We intend to sink about five to six motorized boreholes to provide potable drinking water for domestic use as well as animal consumption.
"We are here again to practically demonstrate pasture cultivation. I personally cultivated some portions of land here. We brought some quantities of Napier grass which will be distributed to livestock farmers in this area," the minister said.
Also speaking, Dr. Sanusi Abubakar, National Project Coordinator for the World Bank-funded Livestock Productivity and Resilience Project (L-PRES), said the initiative would finance key interventions, as the ministry remodels about 417 grazing reserves nationwide.
He explained that the project would fund the provision of water and pasture, which are the two major drivers of farmer-herder conflicts, while also constructing modern veterinary clinics.
According to Dr. Abubakar, "the clinics will provide ambulatory care to farmers' clusters. We will no longer wait for the farmers to bring their animals to the veterinary hospitals, we will go to them."
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