Opinion

Why Nigeria Must Take Animal Identification Seriously:

Published

11 months ago

December 16, 2025

A New Book Review
By Adewale A. Adeyeye, PhD Nigeria’s national security challenges are often discussed in terms of insurgency, banditry, and terrorism. Yet, one persistent and deeply destabilising issue that continues to receive insufficient policy attention is cattle rustling, especially amid insecurity fuelled by farmer-herder conflicts. In a new book, Animal Identification System and National Security:

A Study of North-West Nigeria, Dr. Elsie Uduak Mbuk-Onuwuhafua, FCVSN, mni, makes a compelling case that the theft of livestock is not merely an agricultural problem but a national security emergency, and one that technology can effectively and efficiently help to address.

The book arrives at a critical moment. Across north-west Nigeria, cattle rustling has fuelled violent conflicts, displaced communities, impoverished pastoralists, and strengthened criminal networks.

Dr. Mbuk-Onuwuhafua, a fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons (FCVSN) and Member (mni) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, argues that Nigeria’s heavy reliance on military operations to combat this menace, though understandable, has produced limited results.

Her central thesis is simple but powerful: without a robust Animal Identification System (AIS), Nigeria will continue to fight the scourge of cattle rustling blindly.

From the outset, the author situates animal identification within a broader national security framework and demonstrates how AIS, already in use in several countries, can enhance animal surveillance, trace stolen livestock, disrupt criminal supply chains, and support intelligence gathering. Importantly, the book does not treat technology as a silver bullet.

Instead, it frames AIS as part of an interconnected system involving security agencies, ministries, breeders’ associations, and technology institutions such as the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Drawing on General Systems Theory and the Technological Acceptance Model, the book explains both how AIS fits into Nigeria’s security ecosystem and why its adoption may have been slow.

This theoretical grounding strengthens the book’s argument, moving it beyond advocacy into evidence-based policy analysis.

Data for the study were collected from a wide range of stakeholders, including the Nigerian Police Force, the Military, NSCDC, ONSA, Federal and State Agricultural Ministries, research institutes, and cattle breeders themselves.

This breadth gives the findings robustness, credibility, and practical relevance.One of the book’s strongest contributions is its comparative perspective.

Dr. Mbuk-Onuwuhafua shows how countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Uruguay have successfully adopted animal identification to improve cattle traceability and curb rustling. The author traces the history of animal identification methods, from traditional branding and ear tagging to modern digital and satellite-based systems adopted in much more developed climes.

African examples, from Kenya to Senegal, demonstrate that AIS is not a luxury of the Global North but a practical solution adaptable to developing contexts.

Also, while acknowledging Nigeria’s endorsement of the 2015 Pretoria Declaration on Animal Identification, the author exposes the gap between policy commitments and implementation.

The launch of the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) in 2022 was a step forward, but adoption across the north-west states has remained inconsistent and uneven.

Nonetheless, Katsina State stands out as an exception, of public policy action exploring the possibilities of AIS, while elsewhere security responses remain overwhelmingly militarized.

Consequently, the book argues that Nigeria’s slow progress in fully adopting AIS appears less a matter of feasibility and more a question of political will.Perhaps the most sobering part of the book is its analysis of why AIS has not taken root in north-west Nigeria.

The barriers are many: low literacy among herders, fear that technology could harm cattle, high installation costs, nomadic lifestyles, weak legal frameworks, and limited awareness of the benefits of AIS.

These findings suggest that technology alone is not enough.

Any serious AIS policy must be accompanied by education, sensitization, incentives, legislation, and sustained engagement with pastoral communities.

The book’s conclusion is both cautious and hopeful. Military intervention, the author acknowledges, will remain necessary in the short term.

But without complementary technological and policy solutions, cattle rustling will continue to undermine national security.

A national AIS policy, backed by law and supported by stakeholder education, could shift Nigeria from reactive force to preventive governance. In a country where security challenges are increasingly complex and interconnected, this book is a timely intervention.

Policymakers, security agencies, agricultural administrators, and development practitioners would benefit from reading it. Ending cattle rustling will require more than boots on the ground; it will require technology, data, sensitization, coordination, and political will. Dr. Mbuk-Onuwuhafua has shown us a viable path.

The question now is whether Nigeria is ready to follow it.

Professor Adewale A. Adeyeye writes from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine! at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Sokoto Journal of Veterinary Sciences.

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Opinion

China-Africa Cooperation: Tackling Insecurity Through Development

Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman B. Dambazau (rtd), PhD, CFR, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the People’s Republic of China.

Published

3 days ago

November 9, 2026

The Gleamer

By Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman B. Dambazau (rtd), PhD, CFR

A farmer who cannot safely reach his land, a child whose school has closed because of violence, and a young graduate unable to find productive employment experience insecurity in different ways.

Their circumstances reveal a common challenge: lasting peace requires protection from violence and the opportunity to live with dignity. This connection should occupy a central place in China–Africa cooperation.

My experience in military leadership, internal security and diplomacy has reinforced my conviction that security operations must form part of a broader national effort. Armed forces and law enforcement agencies have indispensable responsibilities to protect communities, confront violent groups and uphold the law.

The gains they secure become durable when legitimate institutions, functioning services and economic opportunities take root.

Development is therefore a strategic component of security. Where communities can farm, trade, learn and obtain justice, they have stronger foundations for resisting the pressures that sustain violence.

Poverty does not automatically produce terrorism or criminality. Millions endure hardship without turning to violence. Insecurity also arises from political exclusion, contested resources, extremist ideologies, organised crime and institutional weakness. Nevertheless, prolonged deprivation and a lack of credible opportunities can create vulnerabilities that violent actors exploit.

Effective policy must address both those actors and the conditions that enable their influence.
China–Africa cooperation offers a framework for advancing this approach. The Forum on China–Africa Cooperation’s Beijing Action Plan for 2025–2027 brings peace and security into the same programme as industrialisation, agriculture, infrastructure, education, public health and green development. Its significance lies in the opportunity to connect these fields through practical implementation.

China’s development experience provides useful lessons. A joint study by the World Bank and Chinese institutions reported in 2022 that, over the preceding four decades, the number of people in China living below the international extreme-poverty line then in use had fallen by close to 800 million.

The study emphasised economic transformation alongside targeted poverty reduction measures. African countries can examine how agricultural productivity, infrastructure, education and employment expanded opportunity, while adapting relevant lessons to their own circumstances.

Africa’s countries have distinct histories, political systems and development priorities. Cooperation will achieve more when African governments define their needs clearly and negotiate partnerships that strengthen domestic capabilities. African ownership must guide project selection, implementation and assessment.

Agriculture should be an immediate priority. In communities affected by insecurity, restoring farming and rural commerce can support recovery and stability. Cooperation in irrigation, improved seeds, machinery, storage, processing and extension services can raise productivity and strengthen livelihoods. Investment should be accompanied by secure access to land, fair arrangements for managing water and grazing resources, and credible mechanisms for resolving disputes.

A processing facility has greater value when farmers can reach it safely, receive fair payment and access wider markets. Communities emerging from violence also need assistance that enables displaced families to return voluntarily, safely and with dignity, and rebuild sustainable livelihoods. Development planning and security planning must meet at this practical level.

Reliable electricity and productive industry are equally important. Power supply enables workshops, factories, health facilities and digital enterprises to function. Industrial cooperation should create opportunities for African workers, suppliers and entrepreneurs, with clear provisions for skills transfer and the maintenance of equipment and facilities.

Young people need realistic pathways from education to work. Technical training should connect to actual demand in manufacturing, construction, agriculture, logistics and technology. Programmes should be assessed by the capabilities and employment they produce. Partnerships between training institutions and employers can help ensure that qualifications lead to productive work.

Infrastructure must be judged by the economic activity and public services it enables. A railway, road or port can support national integration and trade, but its wider benefits depend on connections to local production and affordable access. Project planning must account for maintenance, environmental protection, community interests and financial sustainability. Financing arrangements should be transparent, with repayment obligations assessed against realistic economic returns and public resources.
Education and health deserve the same strategic attention.

Schools help communities recover continuity and hope after disruption. Accessible healthcare reduces household vulnerability and strengthens confidence in public institutions. Cooperation among universities, research centres, hospitals and technical colleges can build the expertise African countries need to sustain these services.

Women must participate fully in this work. Their livelihoods, access to services and involvement in local decision-making matter to household resilience and community recovery. Programmes designed without their participation risk overlooking essential needs and sources of knowledge.

Development cannot compensate for injustice. Communities require fair policing, accessible courts, accountable administration and protection from abuse. A school or clinic will contribute more to lasting stability where citizens also trust public institutions to treat them fairly. Economic investment and institutional reform should proceed together.

Security cooperation should reinforce these foundations. Professional training, peacekeeping capacity, maritime security, action against illicit arms and stronger responses to organised crime can help protect development gains.

Such cooperation should uphold national law, human rights and accountability. Its ultimate purpose must be the safety of people and the strengthening of legitimate institutions.
For Nigeria, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s September 2024 visit to China provides a framework for pursuing these objectives. It offers an opportunity to connect bilateral cooperation more closely with Nigeria’s priorities for economic transformation and national security.

The next task is disciplined implementation. Every major commitment should have an identified responsible institution, a financing arrangement, a timetable and measurable outcomes. Proposed projects, signed agreements, funds disbursed and completed investments represent different stages of progress. Public reporting should make those distinctions clear.

We should ask practical questions. Has an agricultural project improved farmers’ incomes? Has an industrial investment created sustainable employment and developed local suppliers? Has training transferred skills that institutions can retain? Have communities affected by conflict gained safer access to schools, healthcare and markets?

These questions should guide the assessment of cooperation. They also require African governments to fulfil their own responsibilities: coordinating institutions, protecting public resources, maintaining infrastructure and ensuring that investment benefits communities fairly. Regional cooperation is essential where trade routes, shared resources and security threats cross national borders.

China–Africa cooperation can contribute substantially to peace when development expands opportunity, institutions earn public trust and security agencies protect citizens effectively. Its lasting achievement should be visible in ordinary lives: farmers returning safely to their fields, young people securing worthwhile work and children remaining in school. These are the foundations on which a more secure Africa can be built.

_Abdulrahman B. Dambazau is a retired Lieutenant General, former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Interior. He is currently the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the People’s Republic of China. He writes from Beijing, China._

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