Gideon Arinze in Enugu
The Enugu State Government has engaged over 160 veterinary and paraveterinary doctors, laboratory scientists and other professionals as part of efforts to revive and expand livestock production in the state.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Patrick Nwabueze, disclosed this Monday while addressing the newly employed workers during a familiarisation meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Nwabueze said the recruitment was in fulfilment of Governor Peter Mbah’s vision to revamp the agricultural sector, particularly livestock production, and strengthen the human resources needed to drive the sector.
“We have 17 veterinary clinics across the local governments in the state, and we want to revive all of them. We were intentional in their screening because we wanted the best to handle the livestock sector,” he said.
The commissioner said the livestock sector had, for a long time, suffered from a shortage of professionals capable of providing the required veterinary and technical services across the state.
He said the new workforce would help position Enugu to compete in livestock production, while the government would also introduce technology and innovation to improve productivity.
Also speaking, the state Project Coordinator of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), Dr. Ifeyinwa Nnajieze, said three of the newly engaged workers would be posted to each of the 17 local government areas to provide livestock-related services.
“With what we have seen, our governor is being intentional about reviving the state’s livestock sector, moving it from just mere subsistence to a commercialised sector,” she said.
Nnajieze urged the new employees to take their responsibilities seriously, warning that the government would not tolerate indiscipline or unseriousness in the discharge of their duties.