Nigeria's government has inaugurated a Model Veterinary Hospital in Ado Ekiti, one of 21 prototype facilities being built across the country to strengthen livestock productivity. The Minister of Livestock Development, Mukhtar Maiha, opened the hospital on Thursday as part of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, a World Bank-assisted programme. The minister said President Bola Tinubu's administration was committed to bridging gaps in animal health service delivery across the country, which he described as essential to the nation's health and economic development.
The Ado Ekiti hospital has been equipped with personnel, drugs and equipment to serve livestock farmers. The L-PRES National Coordinator, Sanusi Abubakar, said the facility was designed to transform the livestock sector by providing improved access to modern veterinary services for farmers, particularly smallholder producers whose livelihoods depend on cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, piggery and other livestock. The hospital will support timely disease diagnosis, treatment, preventive healthcare and other veterinary interventions to reduce livestock morbidity and mortality, Abubakar said.
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, represented by his Chief of Staff, Niyi Adebayo, said the hospital was part of the state government's investment in animal health, food security and the development of a commercially viable livestock industry. The state is also developing a poultry hub at the Livestock Development Centre in Erifun and expanding poultry production through a comprehensive programme with proposed clusters in Emure, Ikole and Igede-Ekiti. The government is constructing a semi-automated poultry processing plant with capacity to process 1,500 birds daily to reduce the risks and costs associated with transporting live birds over long distances, Oyebanji said.
The minister charged veterinarians to prioritise client satisfaction and reduction in livestock disease burden, saying no livestock owner should leave the hospital without appropriate prescription drugs. He urged the state government, veterinary professionals, livestock associations, pastoral communities and traditional institutions to take ownership of the facility and maintain it effectively for future generations. The National Vice-President of the Sheep and Goat Development Association and the Chairman of the Pig Farmers Association in Ekiti State both commended the federal and state governments for the initiative.