Oyo To Vaccinate 88,000 Livestock Animals
•••As OYO L- PRES Flags Off Free Anthrax Vaccination Exercise
•By Oyeniyi Awojoodu
IBADAN – Oyo State Government in its efforts to ensure food sufficiency commenced free vaccinations exercise for no fewer than 88,000 livestock animals across the state.
The free anthrax vaccination exercise aimed at protecting the livestock farmers’ livelihood, enhance livestock productivity and resilience, and also to ensure livestock health and food security across all the geo political zones of the state.
Speaking while declaring open the campaign exercise in Fasola Agribusiness Industrial Hub, the Chairman Steering Committee of Oyo L-PRES, who also doubles as the Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Dr. Debo Akande who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Agency, Mr Badmus Kolade urged livestock farmers in the state to bring out their animals for anthrax vaccination.
In his words, Akande said, “Today’s event is not just a formal exercise, it is a strong signal of our shared commitment to protecting the health of our livestock, the safety of our communities, and the integrity of our economy.
“Anthrax is a serious zoonotic disease that poses significant threats to animal health, human health, and the livelihoods of our livestock farmers. Left unchecked, it can cause sudden deaths in animals, contaminate the environment, and expose communities to grave risks. We cannot afford to be reactive, we must be proactive, and that is why we are gathered here today.
“This campaign will be rolled out across all high-risk areas, targeting cattle, sheep and goats. The teams of trained Veterinary officers and animal health technologists will work hand-in-hand with community leaders, livestock owners, and other stakeholders to ensure that this exercise is a success.
“Engr. Seyi Makinde’s administration, which came on board in 2019, has implemented a comprehensive strategy to boost agriculture and agribusiness, focusing on crops and livestock. What made our administration stand out was the strategy adopted and key initiatives taken, which include, Oyo State Agricultural Micro-Enterprise Scheme, where a database of more than 10,000 smallholder farmers has been created to provide support, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the Food Security in Emergency scheme.
“The state has launched an agribusiness industrial hub to recover and extract value from moribund government assets and abandoned projects, promoting agricultural development. The flagship project is the Fasola Agribusiness Transformation Center, a model that has attracted local and international visitors, including the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and development partners such as African Development Bank’s team among several other State government team across Nigeria.
“Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) was established to oversee and coordinate agribusiness activities, OYSADA plays a crucial role in implementing the state’s agricultural agenda by attracting medium, large scale investors into the agricultural landscape of the State.
“To bring on board our young population into agriculture, the agency implemented programmes like Start Them Early Program (STEP) in about 15 secondary schools across the State as well as Oyo State-IITA Youth Agribusiness Incubation Centre, where more than 100 youths have undergone hands-on training on animal production and management, all in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
RELATED POSTS
Oyo Govt Trains 1,950 Farmers In Various Agricultural Enterprises
Oyo Govt Set To Move Against Unregistered Travel, Tour Agencies
IBADAN STAMPEDE: Oyo Govt Withdraws Charges Against Naomi, Oriyomi, Other
Oyo Govt Collaborates NIMC, NASSCO On Social Register Accuracy
“Oyo NCAREs and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) project whose ground breaking was done in Eruwa recently, aims to transform rural areas into economic hubs, boost commercial agriculture and contribute to sustainable development of Oyo State.
“At this juncture, it is important to acknowledge the numerous support OYO-L-PRES has received from His Excellency, the Governor of Oyo State as well as the donation of 88,000 doses of anthrax vaccines given by the National Office of the L-PRES Project as support for this exercise, and the contribution of the officials of the State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development under the Honourable Commissioner, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye.
“Let me reiterate the commitment of this administration of His Excellency, the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to improving animal health services, promoting responsible livestock production, and supporting our farmers through sound policies and interventions.” Akande said.
In his address, the state commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye who was represented by Dr Bello Idris at the event noted that threat of anthrax is real, stressed that it poses a significant risk to not the livestock animals and humans.
He said, “we are committed to protecting the health and well being of our animals and our citizens, anthrax vaccination campaign by Oyo L-PRES is a boost on the last vaccination exercise conducted in the state and this will provide more formidable antibodies on our animals against this dreaded disease thereby preventing them from contacting it.
“This anthrax vaccination campaign is a critical step in our efforts to prevent the spread of this disease and to promote the overall health and resilience of our animals, we are working closely with all other stakeholders to ensure that this campaign is a success.” Olaleye said.
Earlier in his keynote address, the country representative of International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Dr Tunde Amole educated the farmers in attendance about the importance of the anthrax vaccination, he maintained that anthrax is an airborne disease that can ruined a livestock farm if care is not taken.
He said, “human being can be infected with anthrax, if one animal is infected with it and unknowingly it comes to a big farm, it can infect all the animals in such farm and kill them all. It is so dangerous and that is why the state government is taking all these steps to curtail it’s spread.”
Highlights of the event include vaccination of some animals, awareness campaign exercise, personal engagement meetings with the farmers, while some farmers in attendance expressed their gratitude to the state government for providing the timely support.
Dignitaries at the event include, Mr Kola Kazeem, L-PRES State Project Coordinator, Engr. Peter Kolawole, Oyo L-PRES project Engineer, Dr Adekeye of ILRI, Mr. Adeniyi Simeon, stakeholders in livestock Industry, representatives of Investors and development partners,
veterinary officers and field staff, livestock farmers, among others.