From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh, Kano
Kano state Agro Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has awarded contract worth N83, 493, 176, for supply of 8,250 vials of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) vaccines and 20, 000 vials of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) vaccines.
According to the State Project Coordinator, Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammded who signed the contract on behalf of the agency, “contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, CBPP, is a contagious bacterial disease that affects the lungs of cattle while Peste des Petits Ruminants, PPR is also a highly infectious animal disease affecting domestic and wild small ruminants.
” The vaccine contract, which was awarded to IBM Investment Ltd., also covers the supply of 70 packs of various inputs and training of inoculators.
“Vaccination plays a pivotal role in optimizing the animals’ capacity to resist disease, maintain welfare and productivity of both large and small ruminants.
“Yet, the animal vaccination has not been conducted in Kano, in the past three years due to some reasons, as a result of which many pastoral communities in the state suffered huge loss of animals.”
He explained that the move was to prevent thousands of pastoral families in Nigeria’s most populous, from losing their livelihoods, food security and employment opportunities.
He added that, “we are going to work with the state Ministry of Agriculture to kick start an annual vaccination programme in Kano, because it is evident that deadly cattle and small ruminants’ diseases affect the already vulnerable rural communities by decimating their income, decreasing employment opportunities, and forcing them to migrate in the face of very high risk.”
Malam Ibrahim stated that the statewide vaccination programme, which would commence in the next few weeks, is expected to over eight hundred thousand cattle and about one million small ruminants per annum, adding that the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, would personally oversee the flag-off of the exercise.
