Musa Inuwa, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria (CVON), says livestock health is fundamental to Nigeria’s food security, public health and economic development.

He said this at a capacity building workshop for veterinarian officers, para-veterinarians and community animal health workers, on Friday in Abuja.

The exercise organised by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) is designed to enhance the capacity of Nigerian professionals on livestock disease detection, reporting, control, eradication strategies and awareness creation.

Mr Inuwa said that livestock disease detection, reporting, control, and eradication were not only a technical responsibility but also a national imperative.

He said Nigeria faces ongoing challenges with several priority livestock diseases that resulted in massive economic losses, reduced productivity, trade restrictions and public health emergencies.

The veterinarian said the recent occurrences of Anthrax and ASF in parts of the country were a stark reminder of the urgent need to improve the nation’s preparedness and response capacity.

According to Mr Inuwa, veterinarians, para-veterinarians, and community animal health workers are the first line of defence in protecting Nigeria’s animal health.

“Their roles are interconnected and vital. Veterinarians provide technical leadership, para vets ensure continuity in field-based services, and community animal health workers bring essential proximity to livestock owners in rural and hard-to-reach communities.

“You are the eyes and ears of the national veterinary system. Without your vigilance, early reporting and swift action, our disease surveillance and control systems cannot function effectively,” he said.

The exercise, he said, would expose participants to improved disease control and eradication strategies, ranging from vaccination campaigns to movement control, biosecurity measures, and community awareness creation.

Mr Inuwa reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to international and regional frameworks such as the PPR Global Eradication Programme, policies of the ECOWAS, AU-IBAR, and WOAH.

“The success in these efforts depends on the commitment and collaboration of these professionals.

“We must also promote the ‘One Health approach,’ recognising that animal health, human health, and environmental health are interconnected. This is especially important for zoonotic diseases.

“Strong collaboration between sectors will ensure better outbreak preparedness and response.

“I encourage each of you to take the knowledge, tools and strategies shared here and apply them within your zones of operation.

“Be proactive, committed and be professional. Together, let us build a stronger, more responsive, and more resilient animal health system. One that supports not just livestock productivity but also the well-being of our farmers, communities, and our nation,” he said.

Moses Arokoyo, national president, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), described it as timely and necessary towards enhancing the capacity of professionals in view of the continuous outbreak of diseases.

According to Mr Arokoyo, as the population increases, interaction between animals, man and the environment also increases, hence there was a continuous outbreak of some of these diseases.

“The best thing for us is to ensure that we have adequately skilled personnel because prevention is key, so in the event we cannot prevent it, we should be able to control it.

“We can only control diseases if we master the act of early detection.”

(NAN)