Veterinary Council of Nigeria and Veterinary Teaching Hospital Bill on HWN UPDATE

The Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) has called on the 8th National Assembly to urgently consider and pass the Veterinary Law/Teaching Hospital Bill.

President of the council, Professor Garba Hamidu Sharubutu, who made the call in Abuja during a visit to Rep Kingsley Ebeny also decried the poor funding of the Nigerian Veterinary Institute (NVI), saying the institute has been crippled.

Prof Sharubutu who is also the provost of Federal College of Animal Health, Vom, Plateau State lamented that with a paltry annual budgetary allocation of N65 million, the institute can barely survive let alone engage in research projects.

He identified inappropriate legislation as another major challenge facing the veterinary institute and veterinary services nationwide.
He said however that the bill which had not passed second reading during the 7th assembly is one of the major bills that would have changed the economy of the nation and helped in the development of sound animal rearing and husbandry in Nigeria.

He appealed to Rep Ebenyi, who is a veterinary doctor to prevail on his colleagues to fast track the passage of the pending bills and up the funding of the veterinary institute to enable it perform its rightful role in the current efforts of the federal government to reposition agriculture.