By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) has said that the creation of the Ministry of livestock development by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will help to bolster the sector, which is already in recession.
National President, Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Moses Arokoya, speaking while outlining the activities to mark the 100 years of the association in Jos, regretted that the sector had not been given adequate attention, stressing however that with the creation of the ministry, veterinarians are now in good stead to contribute to the growth of the economy.
He said, “We really want to reposition ourselves to support the government in service delivery in terms of food security as veterinarians in the country. Now, in line with this, we also want to charge ourselves as veterinarians because, indeed, we have come a long way.
“We’ve contributed a lot to the development of agriculture in Nigeria, and we feel we can do more.
“Take, for instance, in the country as of today, as of Q1, if you look at April, this industry, I mean the agri-industry, contributes not less than 8% to the national GDP. Some would say 25%, but that remains debatable. But as of Q1 this year, we’re looking at minus 23.39% from livestock. We are looking at minus 1.14%, if memory serves me right, from the aquaculture.
“So we can officially say, based on statistics, the livestock industry is in recession. And this is why we are particularly excited that the president has graciously pronounced a Ministry of Livestock Development.
“We have a role to play in production, and with regards to health, we know that as veterinarians, we are properly positioned to change this status quo.
“We are in recession, and these are the realities. And that’s why you see food scarcity increased in terms of prices of food. And as veterinarians, based on our expertise, we can add to the GDP of this nation. We can improve it. And I want to use this opportunity, ahead of the 2025 budget, to appeal to the government, to appeal to the president to give us as veterinarians the opportunity to impact positively on the economy of this nation.
Arokoya said that with the advancement in technology, veterinarians can apply artificial intelligence AI to increase yield in livestock through artificial insemination.
“And I’ll give you an example. If you bring 10 million broilers, and you roll six cycles of broilers, 10 million each, six times, and you bring 10 million broilers, and you bring 10 million broilers, 10 million each, six times, is what I’m trying to say, and you harvest them at 2 kg, we have the expertise to do this, with modern vaccinology technology, and all of that our skill has provided us. What it means is that if you do this math, we are able to contribute 420 billion to the economy of this nation.
“On the other hand, you can do the same with regard to livestock. We can improve in terms of artificial intelligence, as we are saying, we could do artificial insemination for our local breeds. And if we do that, for say, 50,000 cattle, we can put 300 billion on the table.
“Add those two together. I’ve not even spoken of aquaculture. We’re already talking 720 billion. Now, just take one of those. Let’s say, take the poultry, and multiply, or take the cattle, 320 billion or thereabouts, multiply that by 100. per cent.
“And then we’ll be talking about being able, as veterinarians, to support or to carry the budget
of this country.
He said amongst the speakers at the one week event, which starts on Monday, will be Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, Mrs. Amina Mohammed and others from other countries, including Malaysia.
Arokoya said that they hoped to tap from the experience of others on how to improve in terms of artificial intelligence with regard to food security.
He said that the association decided to bring the Congress in Jos because the association started in Jos and expressed the wish that the ceremony will be different from the past ones.
