The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), Kogi chapter, has appealed to the state government to improve remuneration and welfare packages for veterinary doctors in the state.
The State Chairman of NVMA, Dr. Tolu Omotugba, made the call after a ‘road walk’ on Friday in Lokoja as part of activities to commemorate the 2024 “World Veterinary Day”.
World Veterinary Day is celebrated every April 27th, and this year's theme is “Veterinarians are essential healthcare professionals”.
Speaking to journalists after the walk, Omotugba highlighted the importance of veterinarians as essential healthcare professionals and their value in society.
According to him, the remuneration of the state's veterinarians is not compatible with the level of sacrifices and the positive impact on health they are having on society.
“Today is a day that is being celebrated globally to show ourselves as animal veterinarians and to add value to society.
“We are essential health professionals in the sense that we are responsible for the health of animals as well as public health.
“So, we are dealing with two health conditions: that of animals and that of humans.
“We treat animals when they are sick and go to slaughterhouses to prevent zoonotic diseases that are believed to pass from animals to humans.
“When you hear that there is a drop in zoonotic conditions among the human population, it is an indication that veterinarians are working.
“So today is a day to tell the world what we do. Although people don’t normally take veterinarians for granted in this part of the world,” he said.
He emphasized that the greatness and moral progress of any nation would be largely determined by how its animals were treated.
He added: “We hope that in the coming years, under this new administration in Kogi and Nigeria, this veterinarian will be given his due place in society and supported immensely.
“We have met with various state actors and various stakeholders, and we will continue to say that the salaries of veterinarians in Kogi State have not been adequately addressed.”
He, however, thanked Governor Ahmed Ododo for keeping the interest of public servants in mind and for always promptly paying workers salaries.
“But we want to plead with the governor and draw his attention to the issues of non-implementation of the revised CONMESS in the state. We appeal to him to address the matter urgently.
“We need to be adequately remunerated and compensated for all the sacrifices we make as veterinary doctors in society,” said Omotugba.
Speaking on the federal government's Animal Husbandry Initiative, Dr. Khalid Bashiru, Director of Publications Relations at NVMA, called for the full adoption of animal husbandry due to its immense benefits to society.
According to him, livestock farming will contribute greatly to help mitigate the incessant crises and conflicts between farmers and herders.
He added that livestock farming would boost livestock productivity and the economic situation of the livestock sub-sector in the state.
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