Daniel Adaji
The Federal Government has raised fresh concerns over the public health dangers linked to the misuse of veterinary drugs, warning that the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance could spill beyond farms and threaten human populations.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, issued the warning on Thursday at a stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja, where he highlighted deep-rooted challenges in Nigeria’s veterinary drug market. He said weak regulation, poor-quality products and improper administration of animal medicines are creating consequences that extend far beyond the livestock sector.
Maiha pointed to the widespread misuse of antimicrobials, including wrong dosages, poor storage and unsupervised administration, as a key driver of antimicrobial resistance.
“Resistant pathogens do not respect the boundary between animals and humans. This is not only an animal health issue but a public health and environmental concern that must be addressed collectively and urgently,” he said.
According to the Minister, many livestock farmers unknowingly purchase substandard or falsified drugs, leading to treatment failure, economic losses and avoidable animal deaths. He warned that such practices undermine disease control efforts and heighten the risk of resistant pathogens entering the human food chain.
He described the safety and quality of veterinary drugs as a national security priority, stressing that effective disease control for livestock illnesses such as Peste des Petits Ruminants, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, rabies and avian influenza depends on reliable and properly administered vaccines and treatments.
Maiha called for stronger collaboration among regulatory agencies, manufacturers, importers, distributors and veterinary professionals to ensure traceability and accountability across the supply chain.
The Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Dr. Samuel Anzaku, underscored the role of the National Veterinary Research Institute in producing vaccines that have protected millions of animals. However, he cautioned that the influx of unvalidated, poorly stored and sometimes counterfeit vaccines through weak import channels and informal markets is compounding the problem.
He warned that “a bad vaccine is worse than no vaccine,” noting that ineffective vaccines can trigger outbreaks in supposedly vaccinated animals, erode farmer confidence and further drive antimicrobial misuse.
Anzaku said Nigeria must transition from a loosely regulated vaccine market to a coordinated vaccine system where government enforces standards, the private sector supplies quality products, veterinarians administer them appropriately and researchers validate efficacy.
Also speaking, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, Dr. Nicholas Nwankpa, stressed the need to strengthen vaccination delivery at the community level, especially in remote areas, while improving regulatory timelines and digital registration processes to enhance oversight.
The Country Representative and Political Director for Propcom+, Dr. Adiya Ode, said studies commissioned to examine vaccine demand and supply constraints revealed that national vaccine availability meets only a small fraction of actual demand. She noted that gaps in supply and routine vaccination programmes have resulted in a reactive approach, with most vaccinations carried out during outbreaks rather than as preventive measures.
Stakeholders at the forum, including federal and state veterinary authorities, private practitioners and industry players, agreed that urgent, coordinated reforms are required to close regulatory loopholes, strengthen cold-chain accountability, improve surveillance and curb practices that could endanger both animal and human health.
