We will vaccinate all animals in Abuja by 2030 – FCTA

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has vowed to vaccinate all animals in the territory by 2030.

The FCTA Mandate Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, who disclosed this during an end-of-year press briefing on Thursday, said that while the exercise against rabies and other Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Pest des Petit Ruminant (PPR) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) was ongoing, the overall target of the administration was to ensure that no animal was unvaccinated in the FCT by 2030.

Ibrahim explained that the FCTA, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) and the Nigeria Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), on various animal treatment programmes and vaccination exercises had recorded remarkable successes.

He said, “You may recall that the FCT recently successfully hosted the flag off of the North Central vaccination campaign exercise against Transboundary Animal Diseases. To sustain the success recorded in curtailing the outbreak and spread of avian influenza, the secretariat will in the next few days kick-start capacity building workshop for poultry farmers and marketers in the six area councils to sensitise them on symptoms to look out for and preventive measures that they can adopt to protect their birds and environment.

“Also, during the year, the Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, inaugurated a 13-member veterinary practicing premises committee mandated to curb the proliferation of unregistered veterinary facilities in the FCT and ensure compliance to operational ethics of the veterinary profession in all veterinary practicing facilities in the FCT.”

He further said that the issue of hygienic practices in abattoirs and slaughter slabs in the FCT was also receiving attention with intensified effort on timely evacuation of waste and availability of 24-hour water supply in the facilities.

He said, “To address the issue of pollution, the secretariat has begun installing incinerators in the various abattoirs. The Kubwa abattoir has been completed and is already operational.

“You will agree with me that the use of tyres to roast animal skin has drastically reduced with the constant surveillance of meat processing activities in the abattoirs. As a permanent solution, the secretariat has concluded arrangements to provide gas blowers and establish biogas stations in abattoirs for the conversion and utilisation of waste to gas.”