Nigeria has set its sights on more than doubling its livestock sector from $32 billion to $74 billion by 2035, a decade-long ambition that would reshape rural livelihoods and reposition the country within African agricultural markets. Yet before the nation can move with purpose toward that horizon, agricultural experts are calling for something foundational: a credible, regularly updated census of the country's animals and where they live. Without an honest count, they warn, even the most carefully drawn roadmap leads nowhere in particular. Ambition, in this telling, is not enough — it must be