FCTA inaugurates committee to control proliferation of unregistered veterinary facilities in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration is poised to control the proliferation of unregistered veterinary facilities in the FCT to curb the activities of quacks in the profession.

FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, at the inauguration of the FCT Veterinary Practice Premises Committee on Tuesday in Abuja, said the decision became necessary due to the violation continues safe biosecurity measures prescribed in illegal veterinary clinics.

She added that the committee would help regulate the activities of veterinary premises not only to promote public health safety, but also to bring veterinary practices in Nigeria in line with acceptable global standards. Aliyu has therefore instructed compliance with all FCT veterinary premises to observe the professional principles enshrined in the operational ethics of the veterinary profession.

Aliyu said, "As you already know, the constitution of the committee is in accordance with the Official Gazette which requires the states of the federation to establish committees to regulate the activities of veterinary premises not only to promote health safety but also to align veterinary practices in Nigeria with acceptable global standards.

"Available records have shown that the FCT has a high animal population, which has implicitly led to the proliferation of unregistered veterinary establishments offering a substandard range of services; posing great risks to animals and humans.

“The fact that these illegal facilities make little or no effort to adhere to prescribed biosecurity measures in veterinary clinics, laboratories, animal farms, markets, etc. is a big concern for the administration.

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"It is in this context that the FCT administration is taking the bold step of inaugurating this committee to ensure adherence of all FCT veterinary premises to the establishment of professional principles enshrined in the operational ethics of the veterinary profession."

The Minister also noted that the Administration has taken steps to standardize veterinary operations in the FCT.

“For example, we have given our approval for the holding of a monthly clinical conference to give the opportunity to our veterinarians to share ideas on the management of diseases in order to improve our capacities”, has-- she underlined.

Speaking at the event, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim, pointed out that the increase in population in the territory has made it more difficult for the administration of effectively maintain the high standards expected of veterinary premises in the FCT.

He maintained that one of the areas affected by this challenge was the veterinary services sector which faced the challenge of the proliferation of unlicensed veterinary practice premises offering quackery services to residents.

Ibrahim revealed that apart from government-owned facilities, the number of registered and licensed veterinary premises currently allowed to practice in the FCT is around fourteen.

“While this figure is grossly insufficient given the high livestock population in the FCT, it is sad to note that many other facilities operate behind the radar and provide poor services to unsuspecting residents,” a- he noted.

He therefore assured that the secretariat would provide the committee with the necessary support to enable it to carry out its mission of repositioning veterinary practices in line with world best practices.

Also in his remarks, the Director of Veterinary Services, FCT ARDS, Dr. Reginal Adulugba, said that the inauguration of the FCT Veterinary Practice Premises Regulatory Committee, as stipulated by law, was to help maintain an acceptable standard of veterinary service delivery among practitioners. especially in heavily populated terrain like the nation's capital.

The terms of reference for the committee include, among others, to identify and categorize all premises into different classes as planned, submit the premises for accreditation and certification by the National Veterinary Council of Nigeria (NVCN) , to provide and regulate standards of practice in the FCT, to enforce compliance with government regulations, as required, among others.