President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, has declared the livestock industry in Nigeria is set to bring about a major boost to the Nigerian economy with the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development by President Bola Tinubu in July this year.
Lawan made this known when he flagged off the 8th edition of his annual medical outreach and animal vaccination programmes in Yobe North Senatorial District, on Saturday.
The outreach, sponsored by the Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan (SAIL) Foundation, is aimed at providing free medical services and animal vaccination to residents of the senatorial district, and will be implemented across the six local government areas of Bade, Nguru, Yusufari, Karasuwa, Jakusko, and Machina.
The foundation procured the Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) vaccines for the vaccination of 1.3 million animals; and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Vaccines for the vaccination of 1 million animals against ruminant diseases.
Speaking at the flagging-off ceremony of the animal vaccination programme in Machina local government area, Senator Lawan lauded President Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Livestock Development.
He further commended the Yobe State Governor, Rt. Hon. Mai Mala Buni, for replicating the creation of the ministry in the state.
He said: “Let me commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Bola Tinubu, for creating the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development. Surely, this is one action that will help to develop the livestock sector in Nigeria.
“[And], I want to also, in a similar way, commend our Governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Mai Mala Buni, for equally creating the ministry of livestock development in Yobe state. This is in recognition of the livestock industry in Yobe.”
He added that with the creation of the ministry at the federal and state levels, the livestock industry will begin to contribute majorly to the Nigerian economy from tapping into the N30 trillion livestock market already in place.
“Yobe has the largest number of livestock in Nigeria. I believe that if we harness our livestock properly, our people will gain employment and wealth, and, therefore, these two developments are positive ones that will make Yobe and, indeed, the entire country, very successful in terms of ensuring that the livestock industry continues to play a major role.
“For the records, the livestock industry in Nigeria is worth about N30 trillion. That is a huge industry. I’m sure with what has happened in the area of creating this ministry at the federal and state levels, we will see very important improvement in the contribution of the livestock industry to the economy,” Senator Lawan added.
In a related development, Senator Lawan has expressed his commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of his constituents.
He made this known when he flagged-off the free medical outreach, which took place at Federal Medical Centre, Nguru; and Yobe State Specialist Hospital, Gashua, on Saturday.
He noted that the medical outreach has become an important part of his constituency engagement and have had a significant impact over the years on the lives of the people.
“These programmes are designed to bring healthcare closer to the people, especially those in rural areas who may not have easy access to medical facilities,” Senator Lawan said.
The free medical outreach covers a wide range of services, including eye treatments and surgery, gynecological check up and surgeries for families, screening for clinical cancer for women, free surgical services, and the distribution of essential drugs. On the other hand, the free animal vaccination programme covers donkeys, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, and poultry against contagious and common diseases.
The flagging-off ceremony was attended by the Yobe State Head of Service, Alh. Hamidu Alhaji, who represented Governor Mai Mala Buni; the Deputy Speaker of the Yobe State House of Assembly, Hon. Y’au Usman Dachia; Yobe State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Mohammed Gagiyo; some members of the Yobe State House of Assembly, and local government Chairmen.
Others present were the Emir of Nguru, HRH Alh. Mustapha Ibn Mai Kyari; the Emir of Machina, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Bashir Albishir Bukar Machinama; traditional rulers, local government chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC); and representatives of the health sector.
The 8th edition of Senator Lawan’s medical outreach is expected to benefit thousands of residents in Yobe North Senatorial District.
