Bala Muhammad, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Blueblood Veterinary Services on Saturday, called for adequate support from government, development partners, NGOs and individuals on animal health infrastructure and legislation.
Mr Muhammed made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, in Abuja in commemoration of the World Veterinary Day (WVD).
The Vet surgeon said the provision of adequate legislation and animal health infrastructure would address infrastructure gap, mental and physical burden challenging veterinarians in the country.
NAN reports that WVD is commemorated annually on last Saturday of April and the theme for 2022 is “Strengthening Veterinary Resilience”.
Mr Muhammed who is also the Vice-President, Governing Board of Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) said that veterinarians in the country needed proper tools and support to maintain their personal health and wellness, education, training, mentorship and collegiality.
“Veterinarians in Nigeria need proper tools and support to maintain their personal health and wellness. Healthy animals require healthy advocates.
“Not only veterinarians themselves but also government, NGOs and individuals need to support veterinary ventures that will ensure adequate legal framework, education, training, mentorship, and collegiality.
“Veterinary resilience assures effective handling of mental and physical burdens veterinarians face in their line of duty,” he said.
The CEO described the WVD as a day set aside to remember, mark and showcase the veterinary profession and practitioners’ contributions to the wellbeing and wellness of “not only animals (their primary attention) but also man and the environment.
Mr Muhammed said 2022 theme was aimed at reminding the global veterinary community to continue to be steadfast in holding on to one of the cardinal age-long characteristics expected of every veterinarian in the face of numerous challenges and difficult “terrains”.
He said that those were numerous challenge and difficult terrains veterinarians had to navigate and wade through in the course of delivering their services to the animal and human populace.
Mr Muhammed said the 2022 WVD set to be celebrated and showcase the efforts and preparedness of the veterinary professionals across the globe including Nigeria, in addressing these problems and making the world a better place for humans.
He said veterinarians and allied professionals in the country would mark the day with a series of programs and activities including workshops, seminars, among other programs and fun fare across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Mr Muhammed said those activities are also geared towards sensitizing the general public on the roles of veterinarians in providing success to the world
“The theme could not have come at a better time than now that the whole world and human race are confronted with a myriad of challenging such as socio-economic situations.
”Others are insecurity, terrorism/bioterrorism, high level of outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging transboundary and zoonotic diseases, climate change with attendant environmental degradation,
“Indiscriminate and largely uncontrollable animal and human movements seeking for better conditions; pastoralist-farmers crisis; animal rustling and other associated criminalities among others.
“If veterinarians are supported, properly trained, equipped and positioned they can provide needed solutions in solving these societal menaces,” Muhammed said.
He said the history of the WVD was dated back to 1863, when the first International Veterinary Convention (later renamed World Veterinary Convention) was held at Hamburg, Germany under the leadership of the famous Edinburgh Professor, John Gandi.
“The world veterinary convention had its 1959 meeting in Madrid, Spain and gave birth to the World Veterinary Association (WVA)
“In 2001 the WVA conceived the idea of having a day set aside every year to be marked as the WVD.
“This year’s celebration is the 21st edition of this great and important day for veterinarians and allied professionals…”
Support PREMIUM TIMES’ journalism of integrity and credibility
Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavor.
By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.
donate
TEXT AD: To place an advert here . Call Willie – +2348098788999
