The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat has vowed to vaccinate all animals in the territory by 2030.
The mandate secretary of the department, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim made this known during an end-of-year press briefing in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Ibrahim said that while the exercise against rabies and other Trans-boundary Animal Diseases (TAD’S) such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Pest Des Petit Ruminant (PPR), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) are still ongoing, their overall target is to ensure that no animal is unvaccinated in the FCT by 2030.
Ibrahim said the collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Nigeria Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), in the various animal treatment programmes and vaccination exercises has recorded remarkable success.
“You may recall that the FCT recently successfully hosted a flag-off of the North-Central Campaign Vaccination exercise against Trans-boundary Animal Diseases. To sustain the success recorded in curtailing the outbreak and spread of Avian Influenza, the Secretariat will in the next few days kick-start capacity building workshop for poultry farmers and marketers in the six area councils to sensitize them on symptoms to look out for and preventive measures they can adopt to protect their birds and environment.
“Also during the year, the Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu inaugurated a 13-member veterinary practicing premises committee mandated to curb the proliferation of unregistered veterinary facilities in FCT and ensure compliance to operational ethics of the veterinary profession in all veterinary practicing facilities in the FCT,” he said.
Hygienic practices at abattoirs
Ibrahim further said that the issue of hygienic practices in the various abattoirs and slaughter slabs in the FCT is also receiving deserved attention with intensified efforts on the timely evacuation of waste, and availability of 24hr water supply in the abattoirs.
“To address the issue of pollution, the Secretariat has begun installing incinerators in the various abattoirs. The Kubwa abattoir has been completed and is already operational.
“You will agree with me that the use of tyres to roast animal skin has drastically reduced with the constant surveillance of meat processing activities in the abattoirs. As a permanent solution, the Secretariat has concluded arrangements to provide gas blowers and establish Biogas stations in abattoirs for the conversion and utilization of waste to gas.
“You will recall that the honorable minister of state FCT, in August this year inaugurated a 13-member Inter-Ministerial committee on Veterinary Practicing Premises in FCT. The aim is to streamline and bring sanity to the operations of all Veterinary facilities.
“The committee is set to begin enforcement on December 15, 2022, and it is mandated to close down facilities that are unregistered and fail to comply with regulatory guidelines. To create the needed awareness, the committee has been meeting with the relevant stakeholders across the six area councils,” Ibrahim said.
Emmanuel Ukoh
