… Plateau, Bauchi and Kano receive over 7m doses of vaccines- NVRI

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- THE Federal Government, has called on stakeholders to collaborate to effectively combat livestock diseases to safeguard the health of livestock and Nigerians.

Speaking during the closeout of Livestock is Disease Surveillance Knowledge Integration, LIDISKI, official Closing Meeting in Abuja, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Abdullahi Aliyu, said in a remark that understanding of Peste des Petits Ruminants, PPR, and Newcastle Disease, ND, has been deepened, therefore, has also developed effective strategies for their control and prevention.

According to Aliyu, the capacity of veterinary services delivery and livestock stakeholders, amongst others have received a boost, whereby, these efforts directly contribute to the President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a food-secure nation, where agriculture serves as a pillar of economic stability and the foundation for improved nutrition and health for all Nigerians.

The Project basically commenced in 2020, and the European Union, EU, funded it, while implementation was done by the National Veterinary Research Institute, NVRI, with support from the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, CIRAD, the Italian Health Authority and Research Organization for Animal Health and Food Safety of Venezie (IZSVe), and Ikore, Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the project targeted knowledge gotten from actors in the animal health space in order to integrate and make provision for basic tools and know-how towards holistic implementation, surveillance and control strategies against two main livestock diseases: Peste des Petits Ruminants., PPR, found small ruminants; sheep and goats; and the Newcastle Disease, ND, predominantly among the poultry population.

He said: “While this project marks an important milestone, we acknowledge that our journey is far from over. The path ahead calls for continued collaboration, innovation, and sustained efforts to support food security, enhance livestock health, and create sustainable agricultural practices that benefit all Nigerians.

“Let us reaffirm our collective commitment to the goals of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to empower our farmers, ensure access to safe and nutritious food, and build a more resilient and prosperous Nigeria. With our continued partnership, we are well on our way to achieving these goals and transforming our agricultural landscape for the better.

“As we continue this journey together, may we be guided by wisdom, unity, and a shared purpose.”

Meanwhile, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Maryam Muhammad, in an address of welcome, disclosed that Plateau, Bauchi and Kano States received 7,778,078 doses of vaccines under the LIDISKI Project.

Muhammad also said the Project recorded significant progress basically on behavioural change, which over 500 villages and 502,000 smallholder farmers in Plateau, Bauchi and Kano States were reached with campaigns on disease prevention, vaccination schedules and early disease detection, while 15 vaccination campaigns were done to adequately inform and enlighten livestock farmers, focusing on animal health and their livelihoods.

According to her, 138 CAHWs and 34 field veterinarians received specialized training, which was on the surveillance of PPR and ND through the collection and analysis of data, which served as vital information on the diseases within the three States including development of disease control strategies amongst the livestock farmers.

“One of the most tangible outcomes of the LIDISKI project launched in 2019 has been its positive effect on smallholder farmers. Throughout the project,3,942,510.00 PPR vaccine doses and 7,778,078 ND vaccine doses were distributed to mostly rural communities in Plateau, Bauchi and Kano states, a direct impact of which was the reduction in the spread of disease and improvement of animal health within the communities”, she said.

She also added that capacity veterinary staff were boosted, which had three MSc, and five PhD students.