By Daniel Tyokua
Two years after stoppage of vaccination across the Six Area Councils by COVID-19 and inadequate funding, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has resumed the vaccination with two million livestock.
During the flag off ceremony of the vaccination and treatment of livestock at Nyanya veterinary clinic in Abuja on Wednesday, the Mandate Secretary Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim said the initiative would help to curb the outbreak and spread of the disease.
The secretary explained that the exercise was also necessary because of the growing importance of the livestock sector across the country.
He said that livestock is not just a source for food only but an economic value to farmers and the larger society.
The FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat had the the last vaccination in 2019, while in 2020 and 2021 the exercise was stalled by coronavirus pandemic with also lack of fund.
Ibrahim said: “Our target is to specifically prevent the outbreak and spread of diseases such as the highly contagious Bovine pleuropneumonia in cattle, Rabies in dogs as well as the pest des petit.
“These diseases have high mortality rate on livestock as well as posing significant threat to public health safety of the residents”
Ibrahim urged members of the public who own livestock to cooperate with the animal health officials which he said is for free.
He revealed that ninety heath officials of the secretariat have been deployed for the vaccination which would last for two weeks in the first phase.
On her part, the Director veterinary services FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Dr. Regina Adaulugba said: “We have been given mandate by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the diseases are eradicated, they cause a lot of mortality and damages in the livestock sector.
“So, the flag off today is in fulfilment of the mandate at the FCT-ARDS level, we expect that if a cattle is pregnant and is vaccinated it won’t come down with the disease, farmers usually experience losses”
