By Kreovant Media 

As part of the Federal Government’s efforts to reposition Nigeria’s livestock sector for modern animal healthcare and improved productivity, the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has declared that emergency sirens in Ekiti State could now herald the movement of animals to veterinary clinics rather than government officials or security personnel.

Maiha made the declaration during the commissioning of a model veterinary hospital constructed by the National Coordinating Office of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The minister, who described the development as a significant departure from conventional livestock management practices, said the facility represented a new direction in animal healthcare and the government’s determination to modernise the livestock industry.

According to him, the sight of cows and sheep being transported under emergency conditions to veterinary facilities would increasingly become a feature of a modern livestock system, where animals receive prompt medical attention, including assistance during delivery.

He added that the establishment of the facility would help change the perception that sick goats and other livestock should automatically be slaughtered, noting that the hospital was equipped to provide medical intervention for animals.

The Minister explained that the development was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of equipping Nigeria to confront contemporary challenges in livestock production through improved infrastructure, technology and professional animal healthcare.

Maiha urged livestock owners and farmers to take advantage of the veterinary facility whenever their animals fall sick, stressing that the hospital was established to provide professional treatment rather than leave farmers to resort to traditional and sometimes harmful practices.

His words, “Before now, if you hear a siren blowing, it’s either the government that is moving, a Kabiyesi, an ambulance, police personnel, or an army in an emergency.

“Today when you hear a siren, look well, look well, it’s Cow, Sheep that are inside, they are going to clinics for treatment, they are going to the clinics to give birth.

“So that is what President Bola Tinubu is saying. We must equip ourselves to face it in the first century. Our women, if animals are sick in the house, don’t wash your pot, don’t clean the plate, don’t sharpen the knife, there’s a clinic in Ekiti. Bring them to the clinic, nobody here kills goats”.