Tarry A While, Hunger In Nigeria Will Go Away Soon – Tinubu Assures

• Banks on livestock sector’s investments to end farmer-herder clashes
• Relishes over $2.5bn business opportunities in sector

President Bola Tinubu has assured that his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda will drive away the biting hunger in the country with international and local investments into the livestock sector of the agricultural value chain helping to end farmer-herder clashes and promoting economic prosperity

Acknowledging that hunger in Nigeria is real and disturbing, the President urged Nigerians to exercise patience as hope is on the way, with the government working hard on all fronts to resuscitate the economy.

He said the government would spare no effort in developing the livestock sector given that its investment opportunities in Nigeria are worth over $2.5 billion.

President Tinubu, who spoke in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Nigerian Government and JBS S.A, which is among the top three largest meat processing companies globally, said the agreement is to solve a “problem that afflicted humanity in that part of Africa, clashes between farmers and migrating cows that have caused some life and bloodshed when there is a modern, civilized way to solve the problem and even bring a successful economy out of it.

“We are trying to turn a situation of tragedy, hopelessness into economic opportunity, see through problems and see the opportunity that is involved in it. Food security is extremely important. As we talk right now, there is hunger. However, there is huge hope. And you are one of those hopes that we are looking at.”

Assuring the top management team of JBS that Nigeria stands ever-ready and committed to engaging in robust business relationships with them, the President said they should expect to enjoy good returns on their investment.

In his remarks at the event, founder and President of the JBS Group, Wesley Batista, said the company is the largest employer of labour in Brazil with over $79 billion dollars in revenue already in the year 2024.

According to him; “We are glad to work with Nigeria to work together to develop the livestock industry there. We think it’s a good opportunity for our business in Nigeria and Africa as we believe Nigeria can be the center of supply of protein to many countries in Africa. We look forward to working with you.”

Ahead of the visit to Brazil, President Tinubu had commissioned a team of Nigerian officials and private sector players to take advantage of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio to conduct a study tour of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and explore the opportunities in livestock development, meat processing, seed development and multiplication for key grains.

Reporting to the President on the assignment carried out by his team, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muhktar Mahia, who led the delegation, explained that members were taken on guided tours of companies on the scale of their global reach, the integrated nature of their operations and the deployment of advanced technology in their respective operations.

Mahia said following robust engagements and interactions with various companies, JBS S.A. was picked given its standing as the second largest meat processing company in the world with the capacity to process 33,000 cattle and over eight million birds daily, using advanced zero-waste practices.

He also disclosed that the firm currently employs over 200,000 people across its subsidiaries in more than 50 countries globally, including the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico among others.