The Minister for Livestock Development, Hon. Idi Maiha, has commissioned an L-PRES Model Veterinary Hospital (LMVM) in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

He said the veterinary ultra-modern hospital was built and equipped towards improving animal health services and livestock productivity among herders in Maiduguri.

Dr. Maiha, who inaugurated the livestock facility on Wednesday, said; “This hospital was built and equipped under the World Bank-supported Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project.

He further revealed that seven model veterinary hospitals had been completed in Adamawa, Sokoto, Enugu, Niger, Ondo, Edo and Borno, stating that 14 others were at various stages of completion across the country.

According to him, the Borno facility is the largest among the completed livestock hospitals because of the state’s large livestock population.

He added that the Federal Government planned to establish at least a model veterinary hospital in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abula.

The Minister disclosed that the hospital was equipped with a modern surgical theatre, diagnostic laboratory, radiology unit and ambulatory service to provide veterinary care across Maiduguri metropolis and beyond.

He, therefore urged the Borno state government to prioritise recruitment, training and continuous development of veterinary and para-veterinary personnel to ensure effective utilisation of the facility.

He commended Govwenor Babagana Zulum, the State Executive Council and the House of Assembly for supporting livestock development initiatives.

The Deputy Governor, Umar Kadafur, said the state had received significant interventions through collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

Kadafur said over 39 infrastructure facilities had been provided across three Rural Grazing Areas (RUGA) in the state’s senatorial districts to improve livestock productivity and livelihoods of pastoralist.

He, therefore called for a stronger federal and cross-border collaboration in managing trans- boundary livestock movement, particularly along cattle routes linking Borno with the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Livestock Development, Dr Tijjani Muhammad said the interventions would improve animal husbandry, water access, productivity and the welfare of livestock-dependent communities.

He added that the state’s breed improvement programme, involving artificial insemination of 3,000 cows, was ongoing.

Muhammad added that the state was expecting further investments to strengthen the dairy value chain, promote value addition and create sustainable economic opportunities among the youths and women.