In addition to the just-completed veterinary clinics, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has unveiled plans to construct an ultra-modern Abuja Central Abattoir in Tungan Maje area of Gwagwalada Area Council.
The construction of the abattoir became imperative in order to ensure that the FCT residents consume beef prepared in hygienic environment.
Speaking at the 2012 Professional Continuing Education Seminar organised by the Veterinary Council of Nigeria in Abuja, the FCT Minister Senator Bala Mohammed said arrangements had been concluded with a private investor that will execute the project.
Mohammed said: “In order to further underscore the importance of providing wholesome meat for the FCT residents, arrangements have been concluded with an investor for the construction of an ultra-modern Abuja central abattoir in Tungan Maje.”
He added that when operational, it will elevate the standard of meat management in the FCT as all abattoirs, both public and private, will have to upgrade their operations to that standard in order to continue functioning or risk closure.
The minister stated that while the contract for the construction of a veterinary clinic in Abaji would soon be awarded, the FCT Administration is working on a proposal geared towards upgrading Nyanya Veterinary Clinic into a veterinary hospital.
According to him, construction of a veterinary laboratory at the Nyanya Veterinary Clinic has been completed while the contract execution for equipping the laboratory and the clinic is in progress.
Mohammed further stated that arrangements have been concluded for the launch of the pilot FCT meat haulage scheme through public-private-partnership (PPP).
He disclosed that with the establishment of fish farm estates in the territory, it will be able to address the low production of dairy and beef in the country, which necessarily requires rapid and essential upgrading.
The Minister, however, cautioned all veterinary medicine practitioners to take it very seriously as it is a pre-requisite for annual practising license renewal.
In his remark, the President, Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Professor Gabriel Ogundipe said that the aim of the programme was to continuously update the skill and knowledge of practising veterinarians, in terms of general knowledge, wildlife management including recent developments in veterinary medicine, thereby, improving their professional competence and efficiency.
He lamented the level of illiteracy of his members stressing that about 500 out of 4,500 council members annually attend the programme.
“The level of literacy and sophistication that prevails in any profession is a reflection of the quality of continuing education. For the veterinary profession in Nigeria, the level is still not good enough. Only 300-500 veterinarians out of about 4,500 veterinary doctors resident in Nigeria attend any form of continuing education each year. It is observed that many veterinary officers, several veterinarians employed in tertiary institutions and those in private practices do not attend.
“They therefore deny themselves of the opportunities to learn new techniques and new innovations in the field of veterinary medicine. The situation must change,” he said.
Continuing, he added that: “The council is decentralising its services by setting up state offices. The ones in Enugu, Port Harcourt and Ibadan are now functional. Similarly, the College of Veterinary Surgeons Nigeria (CVSN) is also in the process of being decentralised.
“The CVSN accreditation committee is currently going round the universities to possibly accredit them for the specialities of Medicine, Pathology, Surgeon and Public Health and Preventive Medicine. This will enable civil servants, private veterinary practitioners and academic veterinarians to enrol for their fellowship training in their neighbourhood.”
