Nigeria’s fight against devastating livestock diseases received a major boost on Friday as the Federal Government commissioned a 40 million-dose veterinary vaccine cold chain facility in Edo State.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said the solar-powered facility would strengthen disease prevention, improve livestock productivity and enhance food security across Nigeria.
Speaking during the commissioning and handover of the facility at the Edo Agric Hub and Livestock Processing Facility, Maiha described vaccination as the country’s strongest weapon against transboundary animal diseases.
“Effective vaccination remains the most reliable and sustainable strategy for combating transboundary animal diseases such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Newcastle Disease, African Horse Sickness and African Swine Fever, which continue to threaten livestock production and farmers’ livelihoods,” the minister said.
He explained that the facility, with a storage capacity of about 40 million vaccine doses, would preserve vaccine potency, strengthen cold-chain logistics and ensure timely distribution of quality vaccines to livestock farmers across the South-South region and beyond.
Maiha also commissioned the state’s ultra-modern livestock processing facility, noting that the project is part of the Federal Government’s livestock development agenda under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, supported by the World Bank.
According to him, the investment aligns with the global One Health agenda by promoting animal health, public health, food safety and environmental sustainability.
In his remarks, Edo State Commissioner for Livestock Development, Ignatius Ikponmwosa Omorodion, described the project as a historic milestone that would serve all six states of the South-South geopolitical zone and strengthen regional disease prevention efforts.
He thanked the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and the National Office for locating the facility in Edo State, assuring that the state government would protect and ensure its optimal utilisation.
Omorodion added that agriculture remains a key pillar of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s development agenda, with livestock development playing a strategic role in boosting food production, creating jobs and driving economic growth.
