REVIVING LIVESTOCK ROUTES & BUILDING ONDO STATE INTO A REGIONAL LIVESTOCK HUB Wale AKINGBADE
REVIVING LIVESTOCK ROUTES & BUILDING ONDO STATE INTO A REGIONAL LIVESTOCK HUB
Wale AKINGBADE
“In the Awolowo era, livestock routes were designed to reduce conflict and strengthen food supply. Today, we must revive and modernise them. Ondo State has the land, the location, and the leadership capacity to become the livestock hub of Southwest Nigeria. Through PPPs in ranching, transport, and processing, we can create jobs, reduce food costs, and position our state as a driver of Nigeria’s livestock industrialisation.”.
Nigeria’s livestock sector stands at a turning point. With over 20 million cattle but growing protein needs, the push for mega ranches, processing plants, and logistics corridors is inevitable. Ondo State, strategically positioned between Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, and Kogi can become the Southwest livestock hub if it seizes this opportunity.
This plan proposes reviving and modernising Awolowo-era livestock routes, integrating them into the State’s agriculture, transportation, and urban planning systems, and using a PPP framework to attract investors into ranching clusters, refrigerated transport, and processing industries.
Historical Context & Opportunity
In the 1950s and 60s, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo deliberately mapped livestock routes in the Western Region. These corridors enabled safe movement of cattle, reduced conflicts, and connected rural production to urban markets.
Over time, they were neglected and encroached upon, leading to today’s disorderly and often violent herder movements.
Reviving these routes offers Ondo State the triple advantage of:
1. Reducing farmer–herder conflicts.
2. Structuring a livestock-driven value chain.
3. Positioning as a logistics and processing hub for the South-West.
Strategic Objectives for Ondo State
1. Livestock Logistics Hub – Make Akure–Ore–Ikare the backbone of livestock transport.
2. PPP-Driven Processing Clusters – Establish dairy plants, leather factories, abattoirs, cold storage, and packaging plants.
3. Integrated Urban & Transport Planning – Legally protect livestock routes; develop ranching clusters linked to road/rail.
4. Economic Diversification – Increase IGR via livestock levies, processing royalties, and exports.
5. Peace & Security – Reduce farmer-herder clashes by 70% through structured corridors.
Role of Key Ministries
Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry
Establish modern ranching clusters in Owo, Akoko, and Ondo East.
Partner with investors on fodder cultivation, dairy processing, and livestock insurance.
Train youths in ranch management, veterinary services, and processing technology.
Ministry of Transportation
Develop livestock transport terminals at Akure, Ore, and Ikare.
Introduce refrigerated trucking fleets and integrate into future national livestock rail wagons.
Encourage electric-powered mobile abattoirs via PPP with companies.
Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development
Map and gazette livestock routes (reviving Awolowo-era corridors).
Introduce zoning laws to protect these routes from encroachment.
Allocate land for Agro-Industrial Clusters combining ranches, processing, and logistics depots.
PPP Framework
Ondo State should structure livestock PPPs around:
Government Role: Provide land, policy incentives, tax relief, and corridor protection.
Investor Role: Finance processing plants, trucks, and cold-chain logistics.
Shared Revenue: Processing fees, export royalties, and state levies.
Potential Partners: different sectors in Nigeria
International: Danish dairy firms, Indian leather processors, renewable energy logistics providers.
Economic Comparative Advantages of Ondo State as a Livestock Hub
1. Strategic Location
Ondo State is the gateway between the Southwest and North-Central, with easy access to Lagos (largest market in West Africa), Osun, Ekiti, Edo, and Kogi.
Ore and Akure are already major logistics corridors, making integration with national rail and road livestock transport seamless.
2. Land & Agro Potential
Large tracts of arable land suitable for fodder cultivation (maize, sorghum, grass) to support ranches.
Rivers and wetlands in Ose, Okitipupa, Ondo East provide natural support for grazing, fishery-livestock integration, and feed mills.
3. Existing Industrial Base
Ondo already hosts cocoa processing, timber, and quarrying industries. Adding livestock clusters creates synergy in industrialisation , hides for leather, bones for fertiliser, dairy for food processing.
Monetary Value & Revenue Potential
National Benchmark
Nigeria’s livestock sector is estimated at ₦33 trillion annually (PwC, 2023).
Ondo can realistically capture 5–7% of this market if it becomes the Southwest hub.
Breakdown for Ondo State (Medium-Term, 5 years):
1. Dairy & Meat Processing Plants
200,000 cattle processed annually.
Avg. value per cow (meat + dairy + hides): ₦450,000.
Gross value: ₦90 billion/year.
2. Leather & By-Products
Hides/skins, bones, blood meal: ₦15 billion/year.
3. Cold Chain & Logistics Revenues
Refrigerated trucking & mobile abattoirs: ₦8 billion/year.
4. Ancillary Industries
Feed production, veterinary services, packaging: ₦10 billion/year.
Total Economic Value: ₦120 billion/year (conservative estimate).
IGR Potential for Ondo State
Assuming modest taxation and levies:
Processing plant levies: ₦2 billion/year.
Market levies & abattoir fees: ₦3 billion/year.
Transport/logistics fees (trucking/rail terminals): ₦2.5 billion/year.
PPP royalties (dairy & leather plants, exports): ₦4 billion/year.
Estimated Direct IGR: ₦10–12 billion annually within 5 years.
(Current Ondo IGR is ₦30 billion/year, so this is a 30–40% boost).
Job Creation Capabilities
Direct Jobs (5 years)
Ranch workers (herdsmen, fodder cultivators, vets, feed processors): 15,000.
Processing plants (dairy, abattoirs, leather, packaging): 8,000.
Logistics & transport (drivers, handlers, cold storage operators): 5,000.
Ancillary services (insurance, ICT, renewable energy, retailing): 7,000.
Direct Jobs: 35,000
Indirect Jobs
Retail meat vendors, dairy distributors, hospitality, export services: ~60,000.
Total Job Creation: 95,000 jobs within 5 years.
Comparative Advantage in Numbers
Ondo can become the meat and dairy hub of the Southwest, just as Kano is for leather in the North.
By Year 5, Ondo could control:
30% of Southwest meat supply.
40% of dairy products processed in the region.
10–15% of national leather exports.
In short: ₦120 billion annual economic value, ₦10–12 billion direct IGR, and ~95,000 jobs created.
In summary, Ondo State has the land, location, and legacy to lead Nigeria’s livestock revolution. By reviving Awolowo’s livestock routes, aligning agriculture with transportation and urban planning, and leveraging PPP partnerships, Ondo can transform into a hub that not only supplies the Southwest but also drives industrialisation, revenue growth, and global competitiveness.
This is a chance to build on Awolowo’s foresight and position Ondo State at the heart of a 21st-century livestock industrialisation plan for Nigeria.
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