Institute To Establish Community Animal Husbandry Services Across Nigeria
By Aloysius Umalo, Makurdi
The Nigeria Institute of Animal Science is to establish Community Animal Husbandry Service Providers across the 36 states in the
country.
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, Professor Eustace Iyayi announced this during a stakeholders meeting of the
institute held at its zonal headquarters in Makurdi, the Capital of Benue State in North Central Nigeria.
He said the initiative was aimed at rendering services to people rearing animals in rural Communities to enable them build enterprises
across the country.
Professor Iyayi urged stakeholders to key into the strategic plan of the institute for the benefit of the society by ensuring that graduates in the field of Animal Science acquire practical skills to become self employed.
The stakeholders who were drawn from Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States deliberated on the challenges facing livestock businesses, global best practices in animal husbandry as well as effect of changing climatic conditions in the livestock industry.
‘’We are interested in knowing how people are faring in their livestock businesses, the challenges they face and how best we can
work to overcome those challenges’’, Iyayi stated.
He advised those who cannot go into real modern ranching to adopt the small holder model practiced in Kenya where ‘’people keep animals in their backyards and do cut and carry zero grazing for them’’.
On his part, a University Don, Professor Mohammed Maikano Ari of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, says professionals in the livestock industry should be involved in resolving crisis between farmers and herders in the country.
Professor Ari who is also a fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Animal Science told Voice of Nigeria in an interview that the continued application of mundane processes and recycling of non professionals who lack the relevant rights, talents and skills to mediate in incidents between farmers and herders has overwhelmed the livestock industry.
‘’The Benue valley is a predominant belt where there are a lot of livestock activities and we have so much to do as government and active players in the livestock industry but if we do not involve professionals and give specialized attention to this sector, we are likely to continue to see ourselves in the same situation’’.
Professor Ari also advocated commensurate attention and equal rights to sedentary farmers and those in the livestock industry and called
for the creation of department of Veterinary Services out of Animal Husbandry to make it render quality services to the society.
