FG opens model veterinary hospital in Ado Ekiti to boost livestock care

Livestock farmers in Ekiti State now have a new place to take sick animals, after the Federal Government opened a model veterinary hospital in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Mukhtar Maiha, inaugurated the facility. It was built by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), a World Bank-assisted programme.

According to Tribune, the hospital has a surgical theatre, diagnostic laboratory, pharmacy, haematology unit, ultrasonography and radiology units, and an ambulatory service to reach livestock owners in rural communities.

The L-PRES National Coordinator, Dr Sanusi Abubakar, said the Ado Ekiti hospital is one of 21 prototype model veterinary hospitals built and equipped across 21 states.

He said it would give smallholder farmers who keep cattle, sheep, goats, poultry and pigs better access to modern veterinary care, through timely diagnosis, treatment and preventive healthcare.

Why it matters for farmers

For livestock owners, a sick animal is often a direct loss of income. Abubakar said the hospital would help cut animal sickness and deaths, reduce avoidable economic losses and raise productivity in the sector.

Maiha charged the veterinarians to put client satisfaction first. He said no livestock owner should leave the premises without the right prescription drugs, and that treatment should follow proper laboratory diagnosis rather than guesswork.

He also asked the state to keep training and retraining staff so they can operate the modern equipment, and to maintain the facility well.

Tribune reported that Maiha said the Tinubu administration would soon replicate the facility across the country's 774 local government areas. The other outlets did not carry that detail.

During the visit, the minister also toured the Ikun Dairy Farm in Ikun Ekiti, a dual-function abattoir and commercial cattle market along Iworoko Road in Ado Ekiti, the Livestock Development Centre in Erifun and the poultry hub in Emure Ekiti.

What Ekiti is building

Governor Biodun Oyebanji, represented by his Chief of Staff, Niyi Adebayo, said the hospital fits the state's push for animal health, food security and a commercially viable livestock industry.

He said Ekiti is developing a poultry hub at the Livestock Development Centre in Erifun, with proposed clusters in Emure, Ikole and Igede Ekiti.

The state is also building a semi-automated poultry processing plant able to handle 1,500 birds a day, which the governor said would cut the risks and costs of moving live birds over long distances, create jobs and improve meat quality.

The state L-PRES coordinator, Yinka Adedipe, said the intervention is meant to boost productivity, build farmers' capacity and create investment opportunities.

Leaders of livestock associations, including the Sheep and Goat Development Association and the Pig Farmers Association in Ekiti, commended the federal and state governments for the project.

What happens next: The hospital is equipped with staff, drugs and equipment to commence operations, according to the minister. Farmers can bring animals for diagnosis and treatment, including surgery and ambulatory support for rural areas.