By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s Federal Government has dismissed reports circulating in local media that open grazing has been banned nationwide, insisting that no such policy has been enacted.
Speaking on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, Minister of Livestock Development Idi Mukhtar Maiha said the government is pursuing a phased and carefully managed transition from the traditional open-grazing system to modern ranching, not an abrupt prohibition.
Maiha explained that Nigeria currently has 273 legally gazetted grazing reserves covering more than 4.5 million hectares, and efforts are under way—together with state governments—to rehabilitate and upgrade these reserves. The goal, he said, is to make them functional, commercially viable, and attractive to pastoralists and other livestock-sector players.
“This policy is not about suddenly ending open grazing,” the minister said. “It is about creating sustainable alternatives that improve productivity, reduce conflicts, and build a modern livestock economy. Pastoralists, like all other economic actors, need a proper business environment. The gazetted grazing reserves are their legally designated business premises, and our job is to modernise them.”
Maiha urged the public to disregard false reports and rely solely on official government channels for updates on ongoing livestock reforms, which he described as central to both economic development and long-term peacebuilding in rural communities.
