The fear of food poisoning may have got the attention of the Ondo State government, making the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Olayato Aribo, challenge veterinarians in the state to provide necessary data on animal diseases to aid the government in containing them.
The commissioner, hosting members of the state chapter of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) in Akure, emphasised that provided the necessary information or statistics would assist the government in preventing animal diseases and promoting public health to safeguard humans.
Aribo stated that the ministry, in collaboration with the association, would soon commence aggressive enforcement of extant laws to eliminate quacks from the association. He was of the view that registration of members by the state government would enhance professionalism.
The commissioner assured that the state government would continue to support the association to achieve the desire goals.
According to Aribo, “We, as government, have facilitated the establishment of live bird market in the state, located around the abattoir in the Ijoka area of Akure with a view to ensuring that set standards were met.”
The State Chairman of NVMA, Dr. Ayodeji Badejo, said that the group is one of the largest and oldest non-profit making associations for veterinarians, and has over 7,000 members in the country.
He said that the members are using their professional training in a variety of ways in preventing, controlling and combating animal diseases in order to strengthen public health. The state chairman added the interaction between humans and animals had created an evolving complexity in which the heath of each group is inextricably interconnected.
Badejo said challenges associated with this dynamic situation were demanding, profound and unprecedented.
The chairman decried that the quality of veterinary service delivery in the state was low.
He demanded improvement in policies, manpower, veterinary infrastructure and legislation to strengthen the profession and prevent disease outbreaks in both animals and humans in Ondo State.