Call for government intervention to ensure health standards are met
Dr. Micah Okeji, the Vice Chairman of the National Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), Abuja chapter, has described the state of abattoirs in Nigeria as appalling.
Okeji, who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday, urged the federal government to take pragmatic measures to bring them up to international standard, stressing the importance of food hygiene.
“The state of abattoirs in Nigeria is terrible. We are not happy about it. We, as an association, have tried to sensitise these places. In Abuja for instance, we have distributed pamphlets, aired programmes on radio stations and TV stations,” he said.
“We can recommend; we can only but do little until the government steps in. Government must give priority to abattoirs by funding them to international standard.”
The vice chairman underscored the need for essential facilities, including waste management materials, and ensuring that the local people received proper education on abattoir hygiene.
He also called on the government to put in place security measures for the people involved in the business, explaining that veterinary officials sometimes faced harassment and threats to their lives whenever they challenged abattoir workers on the issue of poor hygiene.
“The locals can be hostile,” he said. “Vets tread carefully. They are there at the abattoirs but they remain invisible because these people think they have come to tell them how to run their business and therefore, see them as a threat. There should be legislation to protect both veterinary doctors and workers at the abattoirs.”
Okeji acknowledged the existence of illegal abattoirs in some states and local government areas, which, according to him, constituted a major challenge in ensuring improved standard at abattoirs.
On the issue of animal vaccination, he advised veterinary supervisors to ensure that livestock received the necessary vaccination against diseases and infections, before being distributed for consumption.
The expert said that children were most vulnerable to contacting worms from unvaccinated dogs. He therefore advised owners of pets to protect their children by ensuring that their pets were in good health.
Reacting to the development at the University of Abuja where some courses, including Veterinary Medicine were suspended, Okeji said that efforts were ongoing to ensure amicable resolution of the problem. He also said that the association would do all in its power to ensure that veterinary graduates were gainfully employed by the government and private practitioners.
“We are in touch with some of these graduates in case of any openings. We also try to encourage other private practitioners to hire them,” he said.
“But the government needs to empower the private sector to ensure that these graduates are employed and are well paid. There is so much to do at the government level concerning veterinary medicine but nothing happens there. These gaps need to be filled in.”
