Minister Raises Alarm Over Fake Veterinary Drugs In Circulation

Nigerians have been warned to thread with caution following discovery of fake veterinary drugs in circulation around the country.

The circulation of such substandard and fake veterinary drugs, stems from weak regulatory compliance and uncoordinated importation practices.

The alarm is triggered by the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar, when he addressed a National Stakeholders’ Round-table on the quality and regulation of veterinary medicines in Abuja on Friday.

Citing treatment failure, avoidable livestock deaths, economic losses as aftermath, Mukhtar blamed the unacceptable state of things to inadequate oversight of local manufacturing and distribution channels.

The weak oversight, the minister added, had allowed some selfish individuals to bring in poor-quality products which are then patronized by non-discerning customers.

The minister descried the livestock industry as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.

He said that the sector’s productivity and sustainability depended on the availability and proper use of safe, effective veterinary drugs, especially given the multiplied millions of people making their income and sustainability from the sector.

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On the challenges of these fake veterinary drugs, he said it had resulted in antimicrobial resistance  due largely to

1. wrong dosages
2. poor storage and
3. Unsupervised administration

“Resistant pathogens do not respect the boundary between animals and humans. This must be addressed collectively and urgently,” Mukhtar said.

The way out

On the possible way out of the problem, Mukhtar advocated

1. tronger, coordinated regulatory framework
2. the need for stakeholders to propose actionable solutions to strengthen regulation, improve licensing and distribution systems, enhance post-market surveillance and combat counterfeit products, and
3. increased awareness among livestock owners, many of whom rely on informal vendors due to limited access to qualified veterinary professionals.