The Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) says it has produced a digitalised national veterinary practising licence and seal to authenticate every document emanating from veterinarians across the country.
The acting Registrar of the council, Dr Oladotun Fadipe disclosed this in an interview on Monday in Abuja in assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office.
Fadipe said with the introduction of the seal, the livestock industry would be sanitised and quackery, drastically reduced.
He said that the seal was unveiled by Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, in October to support the livestock reform agenda of the government.
According to him, the seal will enable the council to checkmate the activities of quacks and ensure wholesome practices as well as ensure proper regulation of the sector.
Fadipe identified proper regulation of the veterinary sector as a panacea to achieving success in the Federal Government’s agenda on food security.
“The reason for the digitalisation of the practicing licence and seal is to mitigate sharp practices happening in the livestock sector and if not checked, will not be able to get it right.
“We produce that seal to ensure the authenticity of any document emanating from any veterinarian through the use of the seal.
“With the seal, one can checkmate those who want to parade themselves as veterinarians.
“This is one of the things the council has achieved within one year of this administration; to ensure we curtail the issue of quackery in the sector,” he said.
According to him, with the licence, one will be able to know and differentiate the actual professionals and quacks by scanning the name.
He said part of the reason why the national licence was rolled out by the council was to join forces with the government to achieve food security.
Fadipe said the government meant well for the sector by the appointment of a veterinarian as Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security.
He, however, said that VCN was removed from the budget as a result of the Oronsaye report adding that effort was ongoing to ensure the council got back to the budget.
According to him, without funding the council cannot achieve what it is supposed to achieve.
NAN
