|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Barrister Saratu Jibrin, acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
By Abbas Gungura, Bauchi
A Specialist Veterinary Hospital is soon to be constructed by the Bauchi State government that would serve as referral point and the training of health personnel to meet the growing needs of veterinary services in the state.
The Director of Veterinary Services in the State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Bello dropped the hint for the much awaited project which contract memo, he said, was already before Governor Bala Mohammed for his award approval.
Dr. Ibrahim Bello who was speaking at the flag-off of state-wide animal vaccination mop-up at Yuguda village in Bauchi LGA, said the state has over 150 medical veterinary doctors that could make good use of the proposed facility, as well as designating it a regional training ground.
“I want to inform the good people of Bauchi state that His Excellency, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has graciously given us the go ahead to submit a memo and all due processes concerning the award of contract, and I know Insha Allah, the file is now before His Excellency, and we are hoping and prayerful that eventually this hospital will be built”.
These, Bello said, the ministry has in addition, had over 150 animals’ health technologists that have specialized in one area or the other that could be windows, and trainees at the referral veterinary hospital.
He explained that the hospital project when successfully undertaken would apart from its primary responsibility, also generate revenue having being a referral centre not only to the state’s LGAs, but also the neighbouring states.
Bello hinged the mop-up exercise to the outbreak of some diseases communicated by some herdsmen coming back from the southern parts of the country in search of greener pasture, hitherto not participated in the last March/April general vaccination exercise of the state.
He also attributed the vaccination mop-up to the influx of herders from neighbouring states as a result of one crisis or the other, coming into Bauchi state along with various other animals’ diseases, hence the mop-up exercise to forestall infection of the state animals.
The director said that one of the diseases identified was rabbits which, he argued, has become a nightmare not only in Bauchi state but the whole federation thereby becoming a problem, adding “You also have diseases such as CBPP with cows, and PPR affecting small ruminants of sheep and goats, Bovine tuberculosis, among others.
He expressed gratitude that Governor Bala Mohammed has personal interest in veterinary services and animal health care, coupled with his love for the herders, saying for over 25 years the ministry has been struggling to inform past successive governments on the need for referral veterinary hospital, but their pleas felt on deep ears.
“If the hospital is built, it would serve as a training centre for our people, serve as referral centres for not only our clinics in the 20 LGAs, but also neighbouring states and it would bring wealth to our people, will improve IGR which is a key to His Excellency”, he said.
Flagging-off the exercise, the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Saratu Musa Jibrin said that animal diseases normally affect human beings who consume their meat, hence the imperativeness of the vaccination mop-up to the animals to promote people’s health.
Hajiya Saratu Jibrin explained that the first reported CBPP case was in Yuguda village, hence the flag-off there to treat the affected animals and subsequently move to other areas of concerns, urging the people to appreciate the present administration for its care to veterinary services, and the people generally.
Saratu said, “From here we go to Alkaleri, Dambam, Azare, and for areas that we were unable to reach, we place some drugs in our zonal and area offices for any herdsman that has health problem with his cattle to access under the guidance of our doctors and animal health technologists
She therefore appreciated the quick response of the state governor to the ministry’s demand for the mop-up exercise, soliciting for his approval for the state-wide general vaccination in November/December this year when all the animals must have been around at home.
