EIGHTEEN months ago, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), pledged to ban open grazing, warning that cows (cattle) roaming the streets would no longer be tolerated. However, a recent survey of the FCT reveals little change; cows continue to wander freely, seemingly unchallenged by authorities.

Despite the minister’s firm warning, the status quo remains, prompting many to question whether Wike’s threat was merely rhetoric.

“We will consult with the herdsmen to see how we will stop open grazing because we cannot allow cows inside the city. They can be outside the city because the grasses are outside the city,” Wike stated in August 2023. He reiterated this stance in March 2024 during a meeting with the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Daniel Bertrand.

Cows still dominate major locations in FCT

By August 2025, it will be two years since  Wike promised to end open grazing in Abuja. The ICIR monitored major spots around the city to assess the implementation of the policy. The findings reveal that cows are still grazing in the city.

The ICIR observed cows continue to roam Abuja’s streets unimpeded, defying Wike’s vow. 

Recent sighting of cows include a large herd spotted around the Berger Bridge heading towards the Jabi area in March 2025.

Cattle were also seen calmly walking along a roadside in Maitama, near the General Hospital, on a sunny Saturday in March 2025.

Similarly, another herd of cows was spotted in the Katampe axis of Mpape recently.

The Wuye axis of the FCT was not spared, with cows grazing on highway grasses and almost blocking roads. In Pyakassa side cows stopping traffic is almost an every other day occurrence. 

Despite the minister’s threat, cows continue to graze openly in many other areas of the city, including Bwari, Guzape, Airport Road, and Dei Dei, a rapidly growing satellite town in the FCT.

In some cases, vehicles are forced to stop to allow cows, which are mostly shepherded by young boys, to cross the road.

Residents react

Residents attribute the inaction to the politicisation of the issue, with some suggesting Wike’s directive is perceived as targeting a community predominantly engaged in cattle rearing. Others propose more practical solutions, such as coordinating herders’ movements and activities.

A taxi driver operating between Wuse and Lugbe told The ICIR  that Wike’s initial threat was suppressed by influential figures who own the cattle.

“Its big men, and politicians that own all these cows you are seeing here. It will be difficult for Wike to stop them,” he said, pointing to a herd near the Military Cemetery at the city gate.

Another resident in Mpape, Genesis, told The ICIR that open grazing can never stop in the FCT and Nigeria as a whole because, according to him, the leaders lack the political will to stop it due to ‘selfish‘ political interests.

He suggested ranching, where cattle are kept and fed in designated areas, as a viable solution.

Residents have also expressed concern over the damage roaming cattle inflict on public infrastructure, including roads and footpaths. The ongoing issue of open grazing is a major concern, with many residents feeling it needs urgent resolution to prevent further deterioration of the city’s infrastructure.

Creation of livestock ministry’s impact questioned

Some residents were pinning their hopes on the newly created Ministry of Livestock, believing it could bring about more practical solutions to the issue of open grazing in the FCT.

For instance, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) urged the federal government to emulate other nations in West Africa by establishing a livestock ministry to harness the full potentials of the sub-sector of the nation’s economy.

In 2020, the then National Secretary of MACBAN, Othman Ngelzarma, in an interview, said the action will help to confront and solve some of the sector’s challenges.

He stressed that a mere department under the Ministry of Agriculture will not be able to address the challenges and allow Nigeria to benefit fully from the endowments of the livestock sector.

According to him, some of the challenges confronting the sector include cattle rustling, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping, banditry, and neglect, especially with regard to the demarcation of grazing reserves.

President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, July 9, announced the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

According to the president, the move is expected to end the constant clashes between herders and farmers. 

The president, on Wednesday, October 23, appointed Idi Mukhtar Maiha as the minister for the new ministry.

The development attracted optimism that the government might finally address the longstanding problem in a more effective and sustainable manner.

But months after the creation of the ministry, open grazing persists in most parts of the FCT, and the country as a whole.

Not the first broken promise

Findings show that this is not the first time Wike’s orders have been disregarded since he became the minister of the FCT.

For instance, in October 2024, Wike declared war on beggars, accusing them of desecrating Abuja city and posing a security risk.

Wike made the declaration during the official commencement of the access road construction from the  Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway to Judges Quarters in Katampe district.

The minister said the move was necessary following concerns that Abuja was turning into a beggars’ city.

The ICIR reports that while Wike, battles sleepless nights over the rising influx of indigenous beggars into the nation’s capital city, their foreign counterparts have also found their way into Abuja and are taking refuge at some satellite locations within the the city thereby compounding the issue.

Begging without borders: Security concerns as foreign beggars are ‘smuggled’ into Abuja in trucks

These beggars, comprising young, aged, and disabled, mount both sides of some bridges from 7 am daily. Some squat on the hard concrete, while others stand, plates stretched out, in a silent plea for alms from commuters.

A visit to the location showed mothers cradling crying infants, their weary faces etched with struggles, while barefoot children weaved between the clusters of pedestrians.

Similarly, the minister on Monday, January 13, also banned used item markets, popularly known as ‘Panteka,’ in the FCT for two weeks.

Wike said the ban on Panteka markets in the FCT took effect from Tuesday,  January 14, 2025.

However, Panteka operators were seen still operating during the period, especially at Mpape in the Bwari Area Council.

Attempts to get Wike’s reaction on the open grazing issue in the FCT were unsuccessful, as his media aide, Lere Olayinka, didn’t respond to calls or messages sent to his mobile phone.