Nigeria under siege from foreign nomads —Prof Ajuwape

TO stem the spread of microbial diseases, Professor of Veterinary Microbiology, Adebowale Ajuwape, has avowed the need for veterinarians and experienced meat inspectors to embark on regular abattoir surveillance.
This, he said, was expedient owing to the nation’s porous borders and continued influx of foreign cattle and migration of nomads from countries like Chad into Nigeria.
Ajuwape made these observations in his inaugural lecture, in the University of Ibadan, titled “Contending With Wall-Less Cities and Fortified Kingdoms: A Veterinary Microbiologist’s Testament”, held recently.
He consequently called for a more effective disease monitoring system through the involvement of such personnel including diagnostic laboratories, to control the spread of livestock related diseases and other disease-control agents.
As regards herdsmen invasion, he admonished northern governors and the military to live up to their responsibilities and flush out such invaders.
Ajuwape decried that the focus of veterinary quarantine services was revenue generation neglecting the provision of efficient disease monitoring system.
“There is the need to review the disease reporting procedure to make it less cumbersome. Our porous borders should be national attention. We have an inefficient disease monitoring system, while revenue generation has become the major concern of the veterinary quarantine services.”
“Over the years there is influx of foreign nomads into the country through our porous borders fully armed with modern ammunitions. This nation is under siege. Most of the cattle are from Chad and beyond. As for human losses, nothing can calm the ailing nerves but justice.”
“The livestock control posts in Nigeria should not be just mere revenue collection centres. Rather, cattle control posts should serve as early detection of disease epizootics. The control posts along our international and inter-state borders should be manned by registered veterinarians. Also, there is need for abattoir surveillance by veterinarians, experienced met inspectors coupled with standard diagnostic laboratories to check the spread of microbial diseases.”