Veterinarians have been urged to strengthen disease surveillance, reporting and collaboration between private and public laboratories to safeguard Nigeria’s poultry industry, valued at about N12 trillion.

The President of Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) Prof Matthew Adamu made the call at a 2-day Public-Private Laboratory Forum on Strengthening Poultry Disease Surveillance in Nigeria organised by GALVmed and the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development in collaboration with Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association(NVMA),

He pointed out that the Nigerian Poultry Industry is currently valued at about N112trillion , employing not less than 20million people, saying “If we are able to deal with the diseases in the poultry sector, ths industry could grow from N12 trillion to between N50trillion-100 trillion

He stated that if veterinarians are able to diagnosis disease, they have solved over 50% of the problem in the livestock sector, saying, the more disease you know, the more you are able to mitigate, arrest or prevent it’s recurrence

He said “To us prevention is better than cure*. We don’t want to wait for outbreaks. What we can do through vaccination, biosecurity, proper feeding, and housing to stop disease from spreading is what we must prioritize”

He acknowledged that as a former Director of a Veterinary Teaching Hospital, lack of laboratories is the weakest link to disease diagnosis and reporting in the livestock sector, hence the need for stronger partnership between the private and the public owned laboratories

The VCN President noted that once the International Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) sees that Nigeria is reporting these diseases, it would help the country, enable universities and researchers to get grants .

The Country Director of GALVMed Dr. Moses Arokoyo in his remarks called for urgent integration of disease data and stronger laboratory systems to combat Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza among other animals disease in the country.

Arokoyo, who doubles as the National President of NVMA, noted that while Nigeria generates significant poultry health data, poor reporting and fragmentation remain major challenges.

According to him, “Nigeria has lots of data, but there is poor reporting. If it is not reported, it did not happen. This is the problem we are facing.”

He revealed that the two-day meeting followed the February launch of Enhancing Disease Surveillance for African Poultry(EDSA) in Nigeria and earlier sessions with the National Technical Working Group on Newcastle Disease, where it was discovered that Nigeria currently has no strategic policy document on Newcastle Disease.

He stressed that diagnosis is key, with 50 billion chickens produced globally each year and Newcastle Disease evolving at 1% annually.. Newcastle has been here for 100 years. Avian Influenza is 20 years this year. Diagnosis has a very strong role to play,” he explained.

To address the gaps, he disclosed that GALVmed, through EDSA, has established a multi-million dollar partnership with Animal Care to upgrade private laboratory capacity, including equipment, training, and ISO certification.

Also speaking, Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria Dr. Samuel Anzaku, ,called for an urgent shift in attitude towards disease data reporting, warning that fragmentation and under-reporting are undermining Nigeria’s ability to control poultry diseases.

Anzaku represented by Dr. Adeniyi Adedoyin, recalled that the same issue was raised 3-4 years ago.

“Why do we have teaching hospitals and different labs — public and private — generating data, and everybody keeps to their own data?” he asked.

He referenced the Animal Disease Control Act, which mandates reporting of animal diseases through the National Animal Disease Information System(NADIS), domiciled in the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria.

Under the Act, he said, State Directors of Veterinary Services are to collect data from VTHs and private practitioners.

“Despite this law, we have been under-reporting for the last 10 years. Some colleagues ask, ‘Did they give me money to get the data?Even in teaching hospitals, some Directors feel uncomfortable sharing with the State DVS. But that is the law,” he stated.

He emphasised that the goal is not to demand raw primary data, but processed data that can be integrated nationally.

“Data that sits with Animal Care. Data that sits with University Teaching Hospitals. How do we ensure there is a paradigm shift? Without that shift, we can sit here for 24 hours and we will not achieve the result we are looking for,” he said.

He noted that human health and pharmacy sectors have already harmonised their surveillance systems and are moving faster, while the veterinary sector is lagging behind.

Dr. Onallo Akpa, Director General of Poultry Association of Nigeria(PAN),called for increased investment in research and laboratory capacity to tackle Newcastle Disease and other endemic poultry diseases that continue to threaten Nigeria’s livestock.

Akpa noted that while the meeting was important, “we must go beyond gatherings to our labs and research libraries” to develop practical solutions.

He therefore, tasked participants to use the two-day deliberations to identify “missing gaps” and develop strategies to reduce the endemic nature of poultry diseases and their economic impact.

While acknowledging that total eradication may not be immediate, he underscored the need for coordinated research, disease surveillance, and professional action to protect the industry and the millions of Nigerians who depend on it.

Dr. Rita Duwong, Portfolio Manager Livestock Health and Production, Propcom+,announced a new partnership with the Federal Government to scale the delivery of poultry vaccines to rural households using the Community-Owned Poultry Vaccination and Production (COPVP) model.