The federal government has inaugurated the second International Border Animal Quarantine Facility at Jaba-Jaba, a Nigerian Cameroonian border community in the Maiha Local Government Area of Adamawa.
The minister of livestock development, Idi Mukhtar, said during the inauguration on Friday.
He said that the facility is a major milestone in the federal government’s efforts to strengthen animal health and livestock development in the country.
Constructed under the World Bank-assisted Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, the minister added that the facility was the second of its kind in Nigeria after the one at Nfum in the Etung Local Government Area of Cross River.
He explained that the facility would screen cattle, sheep and goats entering Nigeria through the international border and strengthen the country’s animal health surveillance system.
According to him, more than 10,000 cattle herds cross into Nigeria weekly through the Jaba-Jaba international cattle route from the Central African Republic, Sudan, Chad and Cameroon.
He said, “Some of the animals entering the country are uncertified, while others are sick, putting Nigerians at risk of various animal diseases.
“The facility will reduce the risk of transboundary animal diseases that threaten livestock production, public health and food security, as well as the national economy.”
The minister said the project was a significant step towards implementing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the livestock sector.
He added that the federal government planned to establish similar facilities in Borno, Niger, Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, represented by his deputy, Kaletapwa Farauta, commended the federal government for the project.
He said, “Adamawa has the highest number of cattle herds in the country,” adding that the state government had invested significant resources in transforming the livestock sector.
He urged residents of the border community to protect the facility and support its operations.
Earlier, the National Coordinator of the L-PRES Project, Sanusi Abubakar, said the facility inauguration marked another milestone in the implementation of the World Bank-supported project.
Mr Abubakar said the facility was established under the project’s Innovation and Institutional Systems Strengthening component to support the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) in preventing the entry of diseased animals into the country.
He said the facility would also strengthen disease surveillance and livestock traceability, support pastoral advisory services through geospatial technology and promote peaceful coexistence between livestock keepers and farming communities.
The coordinator noted that the facility is equipped with modern infrastructure, including a large animal holding pen, a solar-powered water supply, a spray race, a cattle dip, a cattle crush, office accommodation and training infrastructure.
It would also improve operational efficiency, animal welfare and the country’s capacity to prevent and control transboundary animal diseases.
The minister also inaugurated a Model Veterinary Clinic in Jaba Jaba and the Strategic Artificial Insemination Centre at Adamawa State University, Mubi.
(NAN)
