Meet Mukhtar, The New Livestock Development Minister From Maiha

...An intellectual, administrator, technocrat, silent philanthropist and livestock expert with root traced to Fulani herdsmen, Minister Mukhtar is certainly a round peg in a round hole - The Periscope Global

...Mukhtar Idi replaces Tahir Mamman; from education to livestock development minister, both from the state's northern senatorial district

...Decades after, Maiha local government secures strategic executive position at the federal level, trusting to have a worthy ambassador in Mukthar  

By Adamu Muhammad Dodo

Malam Mukhtar Idi Maiha is the newly appointed minister to replace Prof Tahir Mamman the minister of education, from Adamawa state, incidentally both of them are from the same northern senatorial district of Adamawa state. 

The new Minister of the newly established Ministry of Livestock Development is tasked with overseeing and developing livestock policies, managing animal health and disease, improving breeds and genetic resources, enhancing husbandry and production systems, supporting rural livelihoods, and modernising livestock marketing and trade.

 The minister is also expected to remodel the lives of nomadic herdsmen from being uneducated and nomadic to leading more settled, normal lives, in addition to addressing the farmer-herder conflict, cattle rustling, banditry, and kidnapping for ransom, which are prevalent among some cattle herders.

Mukhtar Idi had his primary education at Jalingo-Maiha Primary School and was one of the pioneer students at Government Secondary School Gwoza where he was the first head boy from form1 to form 5 before going to ABU Zaria to bag Bsc Economics. He also has a masters degree from the same University.

 

He was a lecturer at College of Preliminary Studies, CPS, the present State Polytechnic Yola. He also served as sole administrator Ganye, among other local government areas in the defunct Gongola state before joining the NNPC where he spent over 2 decades with NNPC culminating in his appointment as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refinery, a Petrochemical Company (KPRC). 

 

After retirement he ventured into a large scale poultry and dairy farming in Kaduna; Zaidi Farm stands out as a well-integrated enterprise that applies world-class best practices in animal husbandry placing the new minister among the big players, showcasing his livestock during Trade fairs in Kaduna. He also introduced Bee farming two years ago and it has been brilliant..

Part of his corporate social responsibility pages is the drilling of boreholes for the community close to his farm, suffering from water scarcity in addition to providing employment opportunities in his farm.

Even though based in Kaduna, Mukhtar has been doing tree planting in Mbilla district of Maiha local government in addition being an active financial member of the Maiha Gari Development Association and the highest contributor to the account used for paying teachers to teach at the primary school.