Transp, Agric ministers, others to speak at NITT- organized livestock transportation policy conference
Oru Leonard
Experts will this week in Abuja gather to proffer lasting solutions to the lingering issue of transportation of Livestock across the country.
Leading the pack will be the Honourable Minister of Transportation Senator Said Ahmed Alkali and that of Agriculture and Rural Development Sen, Abubakar Kyari, CON, who are among the dignitaries expected to speak at a 2-Day national conference on Livestock Transportation in Nigeria organized by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology ( NITT) Zaria holding at Gudu Abuja on Wednesday and Thursday this week
With the theme: “DEVELOPING A POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR TRANSPORTATION OF LIVESTOCK IN NIGERIA” the conference according to the NITT Director-General/Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bayero Salih-Farah, FCILT, became necessary in view of the urgent need to develop a policy covering regulations and guidelines on livestock transportation in Nigeria which he said is long overdue.
His words “Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million people, needs to have a safe, standardized, efficient, hygienic, sustainable, and humane animal transportation system that would contribute to the attainment of the laudable livestock and agricultural objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal
“Transportation of livestock is the intentional movement of livestock by road, rail, ship/boat/canoe, or by air. And such means of transportation should provide for safe, humane and expeditious transportation of the livestock so as to prevent accidents, delays during transit and physical injuries.
“However, livestock transportation in Nigeria is beset with a myriad of problems, such as the absence of a national policy document that would encapsulate a vision and mission for the sector, lack of regulation and guidelines, poor sanitation, poor coordination, poor standard/quality of service, poor safety levels, system inefficiency, and inadequate infrastructure, among others.
“As a result of this, livestock are transported from one part of the country to another on a daily basis and in all manner of vehicles, many times in a cruel or inhumane way and without due consideration for animal welfare issues and transportation standards for diverse animal species’ the DG stated.
It will be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development had in 2022 inaugurated a National Committee on Animal Welfare. The action placed an obligation on the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), a leading training, research, and development Institute in the transport and logistics industry in Nigeria and the West African sub-region, to develop standard guidelines and regulations on Livestock transportation in the country in line with international best practices.
In statement issued by Dr. Baba Ibrahim Mundi, NITT Director of Transport Research and Intelligence and Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee, the conference would serve as an avenue for stakeholders to come up with a policy framework covering regulations and guidelines for the safe, humane, hygienic, and sustainable livestock transportation in Nigeria with the following objectives
Vehicular movement of livestock (the types of vehicles to be used for
livestock transport, and body specifications), handling of Livestock, proper restraint procedures for the diverse livestock species when on transit, procedures for livestock loading and offloading, responsibilities of drivers, their assistants and owners when transporting the livestock. Participants will also deliberate on distance journey break as well as the appropriate duration for transport of livestock based on differences in ambient temperatures of different geographical location in the country
The statement explained that the Honourable Minister of Transportation Sen. Said Ahmed Alkali will declare the conference opened while his counterpart in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Sen. Abubakar Kyari, CON is the special guest of honour
Other Speakers include the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, Chairman National Livestock Reform Committee, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport H.E. Senator Adamu Aliero, Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture.
Furthermore, the conference is expected to attract Policy Makers from Federal Executive Council, Leadership of the National Assembly, Federal Ministries of Transportation, Agriculture, Aviation, Information, National Council on Transportation, all state Directors of Veterinary Services, National Committee on Animal Welfare, Butchers Association of Nigeria, Diary and Dairy Products Association, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Committee on Implementation of Livestock Reforms, National Veterinary Research Institute, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, NAFDAC, NRC, FRSC, ASAN, SON, NVMA, NIAS, VCN, NVRI, CVON, NAPRI, RTEAN, NATO, VIO, NA, NSCDC, CIOTA, CILT and other stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
