Gombe govt. flags off free vaccination against trans-boundary animal diseases

The Gombe state Government on Tuesday flagged off its free annual mass vaccination of livestock against trans-boundary animal diseases and to promote livestock production.

Gov. Inuwa Yahaya, who flagged off the vaccination in Gadam town, Kwami Local Government Area of the state said the exercise reflected his administration’s commitment to development of the livestock sub-sector.

Yahaya said that the state had procured enough vaccines and other veterinary equipment in view of the contribution of the sub-sector to development of the economy.

“Diseases such as Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia and Peste des Petit Ruminants cause great economic loss to farmers due to high mortality and therefore constitutes a threat to the economy of the state,’’ he said.

The governor said that eradication of trans-boundary animal diseases was significant as such vaccination played roles to animal health and production as well as prevents setbacks in livestock sub-sector.

“We will sustain the annual vaccination campaign to ensure that we protect the health of animals while boosting production,” Yahaya pledged.

According to him, any efforts toward enhancing the livestock sub-sector will also translate to improvement in the socio-economic status of rural dwellers that are predominantly farmers.

He called for collective responsibility in animal disease control and commended the Federal Government’s Livestock Transformation Plan toward controlling animal diseases across the nation.

On his part, Dr Musa Inuwa, Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the exercise was commendable saying, “Gombe state is one of the largest livestock producing states”.

Inuwa said that the state was contributing to the economic growth of the country with over one million heads of livestock (cattle, sheep and goat).

The director said that the Federal Government and the Gombe state were collaborating toward development of a modern Wawa Zange grazing reserve.

He added that such efforts would help to improve livestock production, wealth creation, reduce poverty and boost food security while reducing the perennial farmer-herder conflicts.

He also commended the state government’s efforts in improving animal health and boosting livestock production in the sub-sector.

Inuwa appealed to the government to engage more veterinary personnel as the eight doctors for the state were not enough.

Also, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Mr Mohammed Magaji, said efforts were being sustained in ensuring that livestock sub-sector was improved to create wealth in rural areas.

Magaji also commended the state government’s efforts in prioritising the agricultural sector to boost food security in the country.