The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has promised to upgrade facilities at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, near Jos.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Mr Idi Maiha, made the promise when he visited the institute on Friday.
Maiha said the move was part of the renewed hope agenda of the Federal Government, aimed at equipping the institute toward optimal performance.
He particularly said that facilities such as laboratories and workshops, among others, would be upgraded.
The minister said that the need to upgrade NVRI facilities became necessary with the commencement of the National Livestock Transformation Programme at the Grazing Reserve in the Wase Local Government Area of Plateau.
He added that “NVIR is more than 100 years old and the equipment are outdated. I must confess that some of them are probably older than me.
But due to the resilience and ingenuity of the staff, they are still managing the facilities effectively.
We have seen everything here and there is no need to create another NVRI, but this one must be renewed and rejuvenated.
It is playing a pivotal role in animal disease control, vaccine production, surveillance, and research. We need this institute more than ever before.”
Maiha, who also decried the institute’s state of funding, said, “At the moment, it is grossly underfunded; it is receiving only 50 per cent of its financial requirements.
We will leave no gaps in our national disease surveillance and control system; where gaps exist, we will address them, but we must empower NVRI to meet all our vaccine needs.
Given the mandate of the new Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, NVRI is poised to play a central role in disease surveillance, research, and vaccine production.
Structurally, it has passed the integrity test, but it still needs funding to become operational.”
