Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced the vaccination and treatment of livestock across the six area councils in the nation’s capital.
During the commencement of the programme at Nyanya Veterinary Clinic in Abuja on Tuesday, the Mandate Secretary Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, said the initiative would help to curb the outbreak and spread of the disease.
Ibrahim said the exercise was also necessary because of the growing importance of the livestock sector across the country.
He said livestock is not just a source for food only but an economic value to farmers and the larger society.
Ibrahim said, “Our target is to specifically prevent the outbreak and spread of diseases such as the highly contagious Bovine pleuropneumonia in cattle, rabies in dogs as well as the pest des petit.
“These diseases have high mortality rate on livestock as well as posing significant threat to public health safety of the residents”
Ibrahim urged members of the public who own livestock to cooperate with the animal health officials which he said is for free.
He revealed that ninety health officials of the secretariat have been deployed for the vaccination which would last for two weeks in the first phase.
On her part, the director of veterinary services FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), Dr. Regina Adaulugba said, “We have been given mandate by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the diseases are eradicated, they cause a lot of mortality and damages in the livestock sector.
