The Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to give the veterinarians the opportunity to impact positively on the economy of Nigeria, saying that based on the expertise of the veterinary practitioners they can add to the GDP of Nigeria.
Addressing newsmen ahead of its national conference slated for Jos, Plateau State, the National President of the Association, Dr Moses Arokoyo, commended the president for the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development and charged the federal government to factor in the sector in the course of the implementation of the programme of the ministry.
“We can officially say, based on the available statistics, that the livestock industry is in recession. This is why we are particularly excited that the President has graciously pronounced a Ministry of Livestock Development. We have a role to play in production and in health, and we know that as veterinarians, we are properly positioned to change this status quo. We are in a recession, and these are the realities. That’s why we see food scarcity and rising prices.
“As veterinarians, based on our expertise, we can add to the GDP of this nation; we can improve it. I want to use this opportunity ahead of the 2025 budget to appeal to the government, to His Excellency, to give us veterinarians the opportunity to impact positively on the economy of this nation.”
Dr. Arokoyo further disclosed that the
Veterinarians are gatekeepers of public health, adding that about 2.6 billion of the illnesses and diseases people experience today come from zoonotic diseases, and about 2.7 million deaths result from zoonosis.
He narrated that zoonosis is any disease that can move from animals to humans, diseases such as Lassa fever, anthrax, Ebola, and avian influenza, moving from animals to human beings, adding that if 75 per cent of emerging diseases come from animals, any nation that fails to take its veterinarians seriously is unprepared for another pandemic.
“Today, we are calling on the government to give veterinarians a chance to contribute to national development, especially in livestock development. Graciously, I repeat, with the Ministry of Livestock Development created, we are asking for the chance to make the President’s pronouncements a realistic impact. We cannot afford to continue losing 4.5 billion to Newcastle disease, 16.7 billion to CBPP, and so on.
“We cannot continue to lose and still talk about food security. We must preserve what we have. This is part of the clarification call we are making to ourselves as veterinarians as we meet next week.”
“There are not enough veterinarians in this country. There are 774 local governments, and very few of them have a vet. When a disease outbreak happens, it starts in areas we overlook—typically not in the city, but in a village or local government without a vet. If it’s not caught early, it spreads. It is time to let veterinarians take their place in food production and health. We are prepared for this task. We trained for this task, and we can help the government provide 50% or more of the budget for next year if given the opportunity.”
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