Kwara State government has alerted the public over the misuse and abuse of antibiotics in farms and homes, warning of its dangerous hazard on human and animal health.

The state insisted that the misuse and abuse of antibiotics could lead to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) that could render drugs ineffective on human and animal.

Speaking at a three-day training workshop on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and AMR control in Ilorin for farmers on Thursday, the commissioner for Livestock Development, Mrs. Oloruntoyosi Thomas, said that the misuse and abuse of antibiotics could lead to AMR.

“Two silent threats are facing our food system today. The first is the indiscriminate use of pesticides that kills not just the pest, but the pollinators, the soil, and the farmer. The second is more dangerous – the misuse and abuse of antibiotics in our farms and homes, which is making life-saving drugs ineffective for both man and animal”, she said.

The commissioner said that AMR is now globally recognised as one of the biggest threats to human and animal health, adding that Integrated Pest Management is the best answer to reduce the chemical load on our environment while still ensuring bumper harvests.

“This workshop is, therefore, not just another training. It is a ‘One Health imperative’. The health of our crops, our livestock, our environment and our people are linked together”, she said.

The commissioner also charged stakeholders in the livestock business, especially, farmers to learn to prevent before they cure, saying that they should adopt cultural, biological and mechanical control before chemicals.

“To our veterinarians, animal scientists and agro-dealers, you should prescribe responsibly. Stop over-the-counter sale of antibiotics without diagnosis”, she said, calling on every stakeholder in livestock and animal health to be ambassadors of rational use in our communities.

Also speaking, the project coordinator, Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) in Kwara state, Mr. Olusoji Oyawoye, charged the participants to share knowledge gained at the workshop to members of their communities, saying that knowledge gained would make them more profitable, make farm more sustainable, and food safer for Nigerians.

“Whatever animal products we eat affect human lives indirectly. Some animals have some defects or residual antibiotics that may affect humans. If animals are sick, they interact with human beings and they can be sick also. You cannot separate environment, animals and humans due to interaction. If one is not doing well, it can affect the other”, he said.