…State government intensifies livestock health efforts as part of broader strategy for food security, public health, and sector growth
Kwara State Government has vaccinated 132,792 animals across the state in a large-scale effort to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. The exercise targeted susceptible animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats.
The State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Hon. Oloruntoyosi Thomas, disclosed this while presenting the Ministry’s report at the quarterly inter-ministerial press briefing held at the Ministry of Finance in Ilorin. She noted that the vaccination campaign covered 110,241 cattle, 16,009 sheep, and 6,542 goats.
Hon. Thomas stated that the mass vaccination campaign is part of the administration’s commitment to improving animal health, public safety, and agricultural productivity. She added that the newly created Ministry has also inaugurated a Live Bird Market to support poultry farmers and fowl sellers. The market, she said, will serve as a surveillance point to monitor and prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases.
The Commissioner noted that a Cadre Harmonise analysis was recently conducted, with the findings presented to the national government, ECOWAS, and the United Nations by the National Task Force. She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to building a modern and inclusive livestock sector capable of generating jobs, ensuring food security, and fostering peace.
She highlighted key intervention programmes such as the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme as instrumental to the progress being recorded in the livestock sector under the AbdulRazaq-led administration.
Hon. Thomas also revealed that the Ministry is finalising plans to begin a rabies vaccination campaign across the state, aimed at controlling and eliminating rabies cases caused by dog and cat bites. She emphasized that the present administration remains focused on safeguarding public health through proactive veterinary and agricultural policies.
