FIC REPORT (EKITI STATE) – Federal Government says it plans to transform the Ekiti Livestock Development Centre (LDC) in Erifun, Ado-Ekiti, into one of Nigeria’s leading livestock farming hubs to boost production, create jobs and strengthen the agricultural sector.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Hon. Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this during an inspection visit to the centre, describing it as an established national livestock facility with considerable potential for expansion and development.
He said the centre could play a strategic role in advancing the Federal Government’s livestock transformation agenda, stressing the need to optimise its existing facilities, improve operational capacity and increase its contribution to national livestock production and economic growth.
Speaking during the visit, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Ebenezer Boluwade, highlighted the state government’s commitment to encouraging youth participation in livestock farming through the Ekiti Broiler Production Scheme.
Boluwade said the initiative, implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, was designed to engage interested young people in commercial poultry production through a transparent selection process involving examinations and interviews.
He disclosed that the scheme, which began with one centre, had expanded to six, with plans to establish additional centres.
According to him, the programme targets the production of 300,000 birds across different cohorts, with participating youths receiving payment after the successful sale of their birds.
The special adviser said the initiative formed part of the state government’s broader efforts to empower young people, promote agribusiness and make livestock farming an attractive and sustainable source of livelihood.
Also speaking, the National Project Coordinator of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, urged the participating youths to remain focused, committed and dedicated to their farming activities.
He said the future growth and sustainability of the livestock sector depended significantly on the active involvement of young people.
Similarly, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr Adedoyin Adeniyi, reflected on the evolution of the Livestock Development Centre over the past 17 years, drawing on his experience in the agricultural sector in Ekiti.
Adeniyi commended the state government for its livestock development initiatives and urged it to sustain the maintenance and effective utilisation of the centre to preserve its facilities and improve operational efficiency.
The State Project Coordinator of L-PRES, Mr Olayinka Adedipe, said the project would build on existing livestock production activities and infrastructure at the centre to strengthen livestock development in the state.
He explained that the initiative would leverage the available facilities and ongoing production activities to promote sustainable livestock farming, improve productivity and create more opportunities for investment and youth participation across the livestock value chain.
Adedipe reaffirmed L-PRES’s commitment to supporting strategic interventions aimed at positioning Ekiti as a major livestock production hub in Nigeria.
The inspection visit highlights the collaboration between the Federal Government and the Ekiti State Government to strengthen the livestock sector through improved infrastructure, youth empowerment, investment promotion and sustainable production.
The proposed transformation of the centre is expected to make Ekiti more attractive to livestock investors while enhancing the state’s contribution to Nigeria’s livestock development agenda.
Omotola Oluyemisi
AD (I & PR)
11/11/2026.
