The Federal Government has announced a comprehensive strategy to revitalise Nigeria’s livestock industry, focusing on climate-resilient grazing reserves, expanded veterinary health infrastructure, and strengthened community-based animal health services.
Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, disclosed this in Abuja at the Convocation and 7th Investiture Ceremony of new Fellows of the Postgraduate College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria. He was represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi.
Alhaji Maiha said the induction of new fellows would provide the additional expertise needed to drive President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the livestock sector.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Abdulkadir Junaid of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, called for universal animal immunisation nationwide and urged the adoption of a digital reporting system to improve disease surveillance and response.
President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and Acting Vice Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, Professor Mathew Adamu, charged the newly inducted fellows to take the lead in advancing the nation’s livestock transformation agenda.
Acting Registrar of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Dr. Oladotun Fadipe, said the addition of 205 new fellows would significantly strengthen animal health services and, by extension, public health across the country.
The Acting Provost of the Postgraduate College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria, Professor Adamu Zoaka, explained the rigorous selection process for fellows and stressed that their intensive training had instilled the discipline and resilience needed to tackle the challenges of veterinary practice.
Interim Secretary of the Postgraduate College, Dr. Helen Ego Oputa-Chime, urged the new fellows to be proactive and uphold professional standards, stressing the need for resilience and perseverance in combating the continent’s growing disease burden.
President of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Moses Arokoyo, warned of the increasing threat of zoonotic diseases and emphasised the need for more specialists to handle the challenges posed by emerging and re-emerging diseases.