To further boost Nigeria’s livestock sector, the Federal Government is planning a number of initiatives such as the establishment of climate-resilient grazing reserves, expansion of veterinary health infrastructure, and the strengthening of community-based animal health services. The Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Maiha, disclosed this in Abuja at the convocation and 7th investiture ceremony of new Fellows of the Postgraduate College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria.
Maiha, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Chinyere Akujobi, expressed optimism that the induction of new fellows would provide the additional expertise needed to drive President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the livestock sector. In a keynote address delivered at the occasion, Prof. Abdulkadir Junaid of the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, made case for universal animal immunisation across the nation and called for the adoption of a digital reporting system to improve disease monitoring and response.
The President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) and Acting Vice Chancellor of the Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, Prof. Mathew Adamu, stated that the newly–inducted fellows must play pivotal roles in advancing the nation’s livestock transformation agenda, while the Acting Registrar of VCN, Dr. Oladotun Fadipe, disclosed that the addition of 205 new fellows would significantly enhance animal health and by extension, improve public health in Nigeria. The Acting Provost of the Postgraduate College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria, Prof. Adamu Zoaka, highlighted the rigorous criteria for selecting fellows, stressing that the intensive training they had undergone had instilled the discipline and resilience needed to meet the challenges of veterinary practice.
The interim Secretary of the Postgraduate College of Veterinary Surgeons, Dr. Helen Oputa-Chime called on the fellows to be proactive and improve the standards of the profession, stressing the need for resilience and perseverance in the profession, as disease burden in the continent had continue to increase. On his part, the President of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, said as zoonotic diseases continued to spring up, there was the need for more specialists in the profession to handle the burden of tackling the diseases.
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