The late former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has shed light on the reasons he believed led to his removal from President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet in 2019.
In a viral interview video published by Trust TV on Saturday, incidentally same day Chief Ogbeh died, the late elder statesman had recalled how his proposal to introduce improved grass seeds for cattle grazing was met with public resistance and personal attacks, despite its potential to end incessant farmer-herder clashes and improve dairy production at the time.
“When I was minister, I saw the problem of cattle rearing and I said I was going to bring improved grass seeds to plant in specific places so that the cattle don’t have to roam. Cows don’t like roaming; they are heavy animals with short legs. They want to stay in one place, graze, drink water and produce milk. But here, you see them going around eating plastics,” he said.
In the interview apparently carried out days before his death, Ogbeh explained that his ministry had brought into the country the grass, but Nigerians’ “negative attitude” hindered the project.
“They don’t know anything about it, they go on air, they abuse, they call you names,” he lamented.
He revealed that the current Minister of Livestock Development had also acknowledged that “the problem is water and grass, nothing else.”
According to him, nomadic herding is not a cultural preference but a necessity for herders seeking food for their livestock.
Ogbeh also cited an existing ECOWAS Agreement allowing cross-border grazing between West African countries, but stressed that Nigeria’s failure to establish designated grazing areas had worsened the situation.
He argued that well-managed ranches could boost milk production from two liters to as much as 20 liters per cow daily, reducing the country’s reliance on expensive dairy imports.
“These are the ideas I had, which made me enemies. Strangely enough, that is why I didn’t return in 2019. I was told that I knew too much,” Ogbeh revealed in the interview.
Ogbeh family said the elder statesman died peacefully on Saturday morning, adding that details of the funeral arrangements would be communicated in due course.
