By Ayo Kehinde
The Niger State Government has announced a sweeping reform in livestock trade, disclosing plans to stop the direct transportation of live cows and goats to markets in Lagos and Ogun States.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago made this known at the First Bank 2025 Agric and Export Expo in Lagos, stating that henceforth, animals will be slaughtered and processed at Mokwa before being packaged and delivered as frozen products to the Southwest.
According to him, the initiative will improve hygiene, reduce waste, and enable farmers to derive more value across the livestock chain.
Bago revealed that the state had already secured a $100 million offtake agreement with the Saudi Export and Import Bank to supply processed livestock products to the Middle East.
He further disclosed plans to partner with Lagos State on LNG-powered cold-chain trucks to modernise meat distribution.
The governor stressed that the reform would enhance meat quality, create jobs in processing, and boost Nigeria’s efforts at economic diversification away from oil.
