The Department of Animal Husbandry Services at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has celebrated its 10-year anniversary as stakeholders in the Ministry call on the government to dedicate a full Ministry to livestock.
The stakeholders were of the opinion that the livestock subsector contributes higher to the country’s Gross Domestic Product than crop agriculture, hence there are potentials in the subsector if proper attention is paid.
The stakeholders commended the Director of Animal Husbandry Services, Mrs Winnie Lai-Solarin for her dedication in moving the department forward.
Speaking during the celebration, the pioneer President of the National Institute of Animal Science, (NIAS), Professor Placid Njoku who narrated the history of the department in the Ministry, said animal scientists were neglected for a long time.
“It is very true that all of us have our history and it is important that we keep our history alive because it is your history that makes your future. Most of the departments in the ministry are over 40 years, but the Animal Husbandry Department is only 10 years old. What happened was that the Animal Husbandry Services was essentially hidden in the Federal Livestock Department.
“For a long time, we never heard of the Animal Husbandry Services. In 2007, the National Assembly passed a bill which was signed into an Act on 27th of May 2007 for the establishment of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science. That Act Specifically indicated that the institute will be responsible for the regulation of all issues related to animal science”, he said.
Professor Njoku who is a former Deputy Governor in Imo State further explained that the Ministry did not take the NIAS serious, and at a point he wrote a letter to the Head of Service, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and the Ministry of Agriculture stating that for 4o years at that time that the Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services had existed and an Animal Scientists had never been a Director of the Department.
He therefore said that the incident gave rise to the creation of the department of Animal Husbandry in the Ministry of Agriculture on June 23rd, 2014.
In the same vein, the Acting Registrar of NIAS, Dr Bashirat Bolarinwa commended Professor Njoku for the sacrifice and efforts he made to ensure that animal scientists were recognized at the Ministry of Agriculture.
She said that the Institute has had a lot of collaborations with the Department which include the breeding policy, the dairy policy and the feed and fodder policy and NIAS has been supportive to move animal science forward in the country.
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Dr Bolarinwa noted that the department has been able to have leaders that were able to take the bull by the horn. She expressed optimism that even as their members retire, the profession will not go under.
She called for more training for animal scientists to enable them carry on from where the founding members of the department stops.
Also, the past Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Professor Suleiman Bogoro recalled that there were those moments that they were just emasculated because the system did not recognize them for our work.
He commended other stakeholders that have been calling on the government to dedicate a federal ministry for livestock production.
Bogoro noted that President Bola Tinubu would make history if he takes a bold step and pronounces a ministry of Livestock.
“The livestock subsector has always generated more revenue than the crop subsector, so if we have a Ministry, you better imagine what opportunity comes out and it appears that it may be sooner than later, that Ministry will come to be and President Bola Tinubu will make history if pronounces livestock subsector as a Federal Ministry in Nigeria”.
Awards were presented to Professor Placid Njokwu, Dr. Oyediji Oyedele,
Pst. Taiwo Adeoye Professor Suleman E. Bogoro, Professor B Y Abubakar, Professor lyayi Eustace, Alhaji Umaru Ramalan, Mrs. Omotosho Omotayo, Professor Osinowo Adedeji, Chief Nnaemeka Nzekwe, Mr. Raymond Isiadinso, Dr. Raji Ademola, Mr. John T. Taiwo
Mrs. Omagbemi Funke, and Mrs. Winnie Lai-Solarin.
