The Borno government has sought the support of the federal ministry of livestock development in its efforts to restore the lost glory of the state in livestock production.

Gov. Babagana Zulum made the call on Thursday in Maiduguri while receiving a delegation from the ministry led by its permanent secretary, Chinyere Akujobi.

Mr Zulum said Borno was once the leading state in Nigeria in the area of livestock but lost the position due to insurgency, adding that the state was committed to restoring the past glory.

In view of this, he said the state has established a livestock development agency.

Mr Zulum, therefore, advocated for collaboration between the federal ministry, the state ministry of agriculture and the state livestock development agency to fast-track interventions.

He said his administration had also contacted the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Project (L-PRESS) for urgent support to many livestock farmers affected by the recent flood disaster.

“Borno used to be the largest producer of livestock in Nigeria, but due to the Boko Haram insurgency, we lost that position.

“We are trying to recover and bounce back and to achieve this target, we need the support of the ministry and other stakeholders,” Mr Zulum appealed.

In her remarks, the permanent secretary, who commiserated with the government and people of the state over the flood incident, said her team was directed to come to Borno by President Bola Tinubu.

“Mr President directed us to come down here to carry out an on-the-spot assessment. The essence is that we don’t want to develop interventions from Abuja.

“We want to touch the base, assess and be able to develop specific targeted interventions informed by the information gathered on this mission,” Mr Akujobi said.

The perm-sec, who spoke on the activation of the livestock emergency operation centre in Borno to be supported by L-PRESS, also said her team facilitated the arrival of animal feeds to contain disruption of the food supply chain occasioned by the flood.

The perm-sec’s team, which comprised representatives of the Africa Development Bank and other experts, spoke on how to support the livestock sector in Borno.

(NAN)