Livestock farming plays significant role in our economic prosperity, says Gov Bago
Niger State Governor, Farmer Mohammed Umaru Bago, has observed that livestock farming plays a significant role in the economic prosperity and livelihood of the people of the state.
The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, made this observation yesterday while flagging off the 2024 Statewide Livestock and Poultry Vaccination for Cows, Goats, and Sheeps at the Livestock Improvement and Breeding Centre (LIBC) in Tagwai Dam Community of Bosso Local Government Area of the state.
He disclosed that livestock farming not only provides sustenance and income for countless families but also significantly contributes to the economy of the state, adding that it has become very imperative to periodically carry out the vaccination exercise for its unquantifiable benefits.
The governor said the exercise was of utmost importance to the state, not just for our own health and well-being but also because the state served as a major source of dairy products for Nigeria.
He revealed that the vision for agricultural revolution and mechanisation in the state was rooted in the belief that modernising our farming practices, livestock activity, and investing in cutting-edge technology would propel us towards greater prosperity and self-sufficiency.
While commending and appreciating the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development for putting up the event, the governor also urged livestock farmers in the state to wholeheartedly commit to the vaccination campaign, not just for the well-being of their animals but for the overall success of the agricultural sector of the state.
Earlier in his welcome address, the State Commissioner for Livestock and Fisheries Development, Hon. Ibrahim Mami Ijah, said it was a new dawn for livestock farmers and pet animal owners in the state, given the attention of the present administration towards agricultural mechanisation in the state.
He said that the event was a demonstration of the governor's commitment to changing the narratives in terms of the livestock development sub-sector in the state, saying the governor's passion and unflinching commitment to utilising the state's vast agricultural potential and tremendous comparative advantages in animal production and grazing reserves for the development of the state remain unparalleled.
Hon. Mami Ijah further disclosed that the major policy thrust of the present administration in the state was to provide a sustainable economy through increased agricultural activities that guarantee profitability for the people.
While appreciating the governor for approving the purchase of vaccines for the exercise, he equally said they needed more and appealed to him to resuscitate and give more support to the livestock sub-sector to implement all its programmes towards achieving increased production in the state.