Kogi Receives Vaccines For Animal Disease Control

By Christianah Oladosu,Osogbo

The Kogi State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project has taken delivery of its allocated vaccines from the L-PRES National Coordination Office, Abuja, for mass vaccination against major transboundary animal diseases in Nigeria.

The vaccination programme under the L-PRES Project aims to improve animal health and enhance livestock productivity, as well as food safety and security in Nigeria.

The vaccines were received on Thursday in Lokoja by the State Project Coordinator (SPC), Mr Abdulkabir Onoruoyiza Otaru, and handed over to the Commissioner for Livestock Development, Dr Olufemi Bolarin.

Dr Bolarin commended the Federal Government’s initiative, saying the vaccines would benefit livestock farmers, pastoralists, poultry farmers, and small ruminant farmers in the state.

“The impact of this initiative is an increase in livestock productivity, as it will improve animal health,” he said.

Mr Otaru, the Project Coordinator, described the vaccine delivery as a “critical intervention” that would enhance livestock productivity in Kogi State.

According to him, the vaccines include 200,000 doses of CBPP vaccines, 30,000 doses of Newcastle Disease vaccines, and 3,000 doses of Foot and Mouth Disease vaccines.

The SPC explained that the vaccines would be administered to livestock across 64 value chain clusters in the 21 local government areas of the state.

Mr Otaru noted that the vaccines would be stored in a cold-chain facility established by the Kogi L-PRES Project at the Ministry of Livestock Development in the state.

He thanked the National Project Coordinator, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, for his result-oriented leadership and support to Kogi State.

Barr. Ken Agim, Legal Adviser, L-PRES Project, Abuja, who delivered the vaccines, stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s efforts to boost the livestock sector.

“The vaccines, procured by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development through L-PRES, aim to combat transboundary and other diseases affecting livestock nationwide.

“They are being distributed simultaneously to all 36 states and the FCT and are expected to enhance livestock productivity, resilience, and contribute to the economy.

“This follows a similar distribution exercise in 2024, which yielded positive results in boosting livestock productivity,” Agim said.

The move is seen as a step towards controlling transboundary animal diseases and boosting livestock productivity in the state.