The Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) has issued a 60-day ultimatum to all unregistered and illegal veterinary outfits in the entire nation to register with their various state committees or face the full wrath of the law.
This is just as it inaugurated the Veterinary Practice Premises Committee (VPPC) in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States after it flagged off the national process as part of efforts to regulate veterinary services in Nigeria.
The VCN president, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Dr. Aishatu Abubakar Baju, while speaking at the inauguration in Lagos, said one of the ways through which the Council carries out its regulatory function is by making sure all veterinary practice premises are duly registered and maintain minimum standard of practice that would ensure delivery of quality services to the populace.
The committees according to her are empowered to register, profile and regulate all veterinary premises across the state, adding that the Council is in the process of digitalizing and geo-mapping all veterinary practices across the country.
“It is expected that the Committee will be given all the support it needs to deliver on its mandate. On the part of the committee members, I wish to remind them of the high level of responsibility, hard work and diligence expected of them in delivering their mandates.
“Lagos State is very strategic in the livestock industry in Nigeria as it holds the highest number of private veterinary premises and related industries in Nigeria. As a result, the provision of veterinary services to these industries need to be properly regulated to ensure that they receive the best veterinary and other animal healthcare services.
“By Law, each state should have an effective VPPC which is saddled with the responsibility of regulating the operations of the Veterinary premises and the practitioners at the state level on behalf of the VCN. It is therefore imperative that the State Government must support the committee for the benefit of the State and the entire country.
“I have been reliably informed of the massive support that Livestock industry including Veterinary services has been receiving from the Government of Lagos State over the years and this is very commendable. Having said the above, it is also pertinent to observe some gaps that need to be addressed for better Veterinary Services delivery.
“These include, but not limited to; inadequate human resources in the State Veterinary Services. Currently Lagos State has in its employ a total 25 Veterinarians and 13 Veterinary Paraprofessionals and I have been reliably informed of the approval of his excellency the Governor of the State for the employment of additional 20 Veterinarians and 10 Veterinary Paraprofessionals.
“This is highly commendable given the current economic situation of the country. Having said the above, I wish to inform his excellency the Governor through the Commissioner of Agriculture that this is still inadequate to cover the 20 LGAs and 37 Local Council Development Authorities in Lagos.
“Inadequacy in the number of Veterinary Clinics outside the State capital. At least each LGA should have a Government owned Veterinary Clinic. High risk of transmission of Zoonotic Disease from poorly regulated abattoirs and slaughter slabs. The international best practice mandates the Veterinarian to certify all food of animal origin meant for human consumption for the assurance of food safety and security.
“The records at our disposal indicates that about 9000 heads of cattle are slaughtered in Lagos for human consumption daily. This is huge!!! It is important for the safety of the human populace in Lagos that these animals are properly inspected to assure their safety and wholesomeness for consumption,” she said.
She also called on States still owning the Veterinary officers to pay up while calling for the engagement of more veterinarians in the state government services.
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