The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association has said that the country can raise N420 billion through public-private-partnership (PPP) projects.
The national president of the association, Dr Moses Arokoyo, stated this at an Annual Leadership Submit and Investiture Ceremony in Abuja.
He highlighted the urgent need to prioritize food security and combat zoonotic diseases, emphasizing the significance of mass livestock vaccination to prevent economically devastating outbreaks.
“If given the opportunity, I dare say that veterinarians in Nigeria under the umbrella of her parent body NVMA can turn around the national GDP; if so employed and empowered, we can train our farmers in cutting edge livestock management, vaccines and vaccination in line with global best practices reducing harvest time with efficient cost-effective innovative interventions,” Dr Moses stated.
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He also reiterated that, “We can, in PPP, set up projects from where we can raise over N420bn annually only in poultry, not to mention others.”
Dr Arokoyo also stressed the importance of deploying veterinarians across local government areas to bolster disease surveillance and intervention, pointing out the potential repercussions of a single disease outbreak on national activities.
He outlined how veterinarians could significantly contribute to the national GDP through innovative livestock management practices and strategic public-private partnerships.
In a separate speech, an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Dr Aishatu Abubakar Baju, who also doubles as the President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, emphasised the imperative role of veterinarians in addressing food insecurity and supporting the country’s livestock reform agenda.
“We have the capacity, the human resource to be able to handle this issue of food insecurity in this country. We are trying to reposition the medical profession so that we provide that service that will key into Mr. President’s renewed agenda, especially in livestock reform,” AIG Baju said.
