By Philip Yatai

The Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says it will strengthen cooperation with the Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) to improve veterinary services in the FCT.

The Mandate Secretary, Mr Lawan Geidam, stated this when the newly elected officials of the association visited him in Abuja.

Geidam noted that the association plays a critical role in driving the livestock sector and contributing significantly to job creation, means of individual livelihoods with positive impact on the national economy.

According to him, the FCT Administration is prioritising veterinary practice through the recruitment of qualified veterinarians to provide the needed veterinary services to the livestock sector.

“The Administration is also organising training and retraining programmes to expose the veterinarians to international best practices with a view to enhance their capacities to deliver quality health care to livestock.”

The Mandate Secretary said that the FCTA would continue to tap the expertise of the members of the NVMA and other stakeholders.

He commended the veterinary doctors, particularly those working in the secretariat for their dedication to duty and for providing quality services to livestock farmers during the mass vaccination and treatment exercise.

He said that the secretariat would support the work of the committee established by the FCTA to regulate and streamline veterinary practice premises in the FCT.

“The present leadership of the FCTA will do its best to equip the various veterinary clinics with modern facilities and high-quality medications to enhance veterinary services in the federal capital.

Earlier, the NVMA Chairperson, Dr Chinna Joe-Iruobe, lauded the FCTA for its advancements in animal vaccination and clinical operations.

Joe-Iruobe stressed the significance of government investment in building the capacities of FCT veterinary doctors to ensure the provision of optimal veterinary services to the public.

She expressed concern over the activities of unqualified and quack veterinary practitioners.

She urged the FCT Administration to provide the necessary backing to the NVMA in its efforts to regulate and enforce compliance to ethical veterinary practices in the FCT. (NAN)

Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi