WORLD VETERINARY DAY
Theme: Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness In the Veterinary Profession
On the 29th of April, at about 1:17pm, Dr Moses Arokoyo, the chief host was welcomed by the MC to the lectern to give his speech.
The participants were asked to celebrate themselves as today is ‘our birthday'. He stated that Nigeria got the award for the World Veterinary Day, and that the national president of NVMA is in Taiwan to receive the award.
He made it clear that there are about four million livestock in Nigeria, ten thousand Vets, making a ratio of one vet to forty thousand livestock.
He admonished the audience “do your best, the little you do today one step at a time will change a life". Students were advised but ‘get skills beyond the gnosis, but to get the epignosis(experiential knowledge)’.
As soon as the chief had his seat, Dr Felix Taiwo was called up to the podium to read the citation of the keynote speaker, Prince(Dr) Bola Oyedepo(Former Director Of Livestock Services, Ministry Of Agriculture And Rural Development, Oyo State).
The Keynote speaker congratulated the executive members and members of NVMA Oyo State branch and welcomed them to the occasion. He gave a brief on the journey of the Veterinary profession from not being known to relevance alongside other professions in the nation.
He did highlight point out how the celebration of the World Veterinary Day in Nigeria started in the year 2000. In his world “the theme of this year's celebration- Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness In the Veterinary Profession”, captures the prevailing global message of which no profession is an highland.
He gave an overview of what the Veterinary profession entails, and then moved on to explaining what the keywords(diversity, equity, Inclusiveness)of the theme meant and how it applies to our current state as a profession.
On diversity, many Veterinarians have gotten postgraduate degrees in fields outside of Veterinary medicine, practicing vets have included the sales of other animal inputs and products, some have gone into livestock farming.
On the equity component, during the training the students are exposed to a wide range of courses and subjects, with all given equal attention as all must be passed as a requirement to being awarded the degree. After being sworn in, all are regarded as equal and given chances to excel. He encouraged that the concept of equity should be promoted and continued for the betterment of the profession.
On Inclusiveness, he stated that with collaborative efforts, mountains can be moved, for example; one health and how Avian Influenza was approached and put under control was by the effort of several professions coming together.
In the Veterinary ethics, the role of the Veterinary care is recognised. Representatives of the animal health the technology are going to be incorporated in the NVMA executive board.
Concluding his speech, he appreciated the privilege to be the keynote speaker for the occasion. “Our profession has come of age and we should therefore take our place. I have reaped the benefits of the Veterinary profession”.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
My Veterinary colleagues should not misunderstand me, so also the Animal health technologist should not misunderstand me. If you’re looking for somebody that is a core Veterinary professional, it is me and the technologist will also know that one. In the ministry, I founded Association of Veterinary Officers, you understand? I was the founding Secetary and later the president. I was also president of NVMA Oyo state before it was changed to chairman. Definitely I was a professional to the core. It is good that some of you are attending this programme, what has been happening in the past is communication gap. There’s no where Veterinarians will want to do something and be referring to you as quacks, no we have never done that, but on many occasions your cadre of personnel will always want to take more than what is given to you.
When you see our ethics, the ethics saluted you, that this are the set of people that are taking care of our profession before we came on board. Our first indigenous veterinarian was not a doctor, he was just upgraded. There has always been accommodation, you have your unit. There’s difference between vets and animal health.
Now that you have come here, it’s a blessing in disguise. I remember some years ago, when the technologist invited the VCN Oyo state invited Professor Osoronso to there national programme at the cultural centre. He was the only Veterinary surgeon they invited and they invited me too. Oyedepo is this, Oyedepo is that...they wanted to know who Oyedepo is, and I was there.
Just like in Ministry of health, you won’t see nurses competing with doctors, and you will not see the the laboratory technologist competing with pharmacist.
Q2
Concerning induction for technologist, if you’re under our umbrella now, the VCN will take care of that, but since you don’t belong to VCN, the Veterinary council cannot do anything.
Q3 Have you ever practiced Veterinary medicine and your two other qualifications (Journalism and MBA) professionally at the same time, and if yes, what were your challenges.
I want to say that as a Veterinary doctor and having an MBA, there was a time I was to work in a bank, the only thing that stopped me from going ahead was the stipend. You must have heard of some veterinary doctors working in banks.
The first Managing Director of Agric farm, Dr Saraki was my classmate in vet school here, he is a vet doctor.
I want to tell you that I competed for Coordinator over Influenza. One of the reasons I was chosen was because I had MBA and ten persons interviewed me, they said this man will be able to write reports. I competed for PTF, I was the PTF manager for the state because of my additional qualifications.
I was endorsed as the deputy governorship candidate in Oyo state at a time, honestly when my people went to Baba Ladoja to ask him why he chose, because I didn’t apply, those that applied were about six or seven and they were money pushers. He told them he read through my CV, and what happened? I happen to be the patron to the Baale Agbes in Oyo state, so their president produced a book, and I was the one that wrote the preface, and Baba Ladoja saw it, and said, So Oyedepo is knowledgeable like this.
Q3 Why are vets not employed into civil service
In the past we’ve gone to meet the government and they were interested in helping us, but I think it’s our MSS that scares then, because the salary of one vet in the state compared to other workers is very high. Even when I joined the civil service, we were only three, they combined two sets together.
CHIEF HOST’S COMMENTS ON THE QUESTIONS
Concerning employment, he asked the questioner if she attends the state NVMA meetings, because he knows every face that attends the meetings consistently.
In the last one year we’ve gotten job for 25 persons in Oyo state, the last two were just some three weeks ago. And as I’m speaking with you, we are making efforts as excos, and are pushing for at least 10 vets to be employed at the level of the state again.
If you stay away from the association, when opportunities come to won’t know. Abraham Lincoln said, “ men pursue opportunity, but as for me, I will study and be ready and opportunity will come”. This is a charge and a challenge to everyone of us. Our general meetings are more than this, usually in hotels, we pay, we spend money. We decided to make this public, more people should come.
These are efforts the association is making, we should also take our responsibility. We have been closing premises every where in the last one year, leading to a court action now with Pharmacy association, it is because of you, it is because of myself, we create job opportunities for the incoming generation and the upcoming.
You know we closed down premises that are not registered and do not have a veterinarian on board.
I want to charge my sister, please join us to move this profession forward. If you see me after this meeting, I can assure you of another job in two months. We are talking about both sides, the private and the civil service. Why many of us want to go into government job is because we want to earn the comes. I told someone to come and resume a job in Abuja, I sat down with him to make some negotiations, but I told him, the salary you should ask is two million naira per month, he said ah!, that’s a veterinarian. Where is the government that pays that per month?
Let us come for meeting, bring your ideas, no one is an highland. Tell us what we can do better to make this profession better.
CONCERNING THE NIGERIAN ASSOCIATION OF ANIMAL HEALTH, HUSBANDRY AND TECHNOLOGIST (NAAHHT)
I fought for the Animal health technologist to have a place in this country, as I fought for the vets in this country to be recognized by OIE. For three months I worked with FAO for Nigeria to be chosen for a project. Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda, for three month, and finally Nigeria was chosen. The essence is for vets to be duly recognized, for the technologist to be duly recognized. For the technologist to know that they must defer to the veterinarian, because that is what the OIE record says, so that we can be at peace just like my brother said, not as cat and dog. Let us respect the boundary lines so that we can at ease contribute our quota. I brought FAO to this country on that subject, we invited the Animal health and technologist, even the Sheep and Goat association were in that meeting. We met for two months in Abuja, all this thing culminated in us saying, let’s pick two people from the technologist on our council, and do anything I don’t want to say.
You don’t want to know what people like me and Dr Oyedepo have done for you. We love you, we recognize you, but we must recognize that the technologist works under the supervision of the veterinarian, nothing is going to change that. It is not respecting this boundary line that causes this cat and dog, there is no reason for it. We need one another to make perfect this profession. Our fathers have spoken, we met some of you on the job, we need to learn from some of you, but it is what it is, we need to recognise status quo so that we can share experience.
PRESENTATIONS OF AWARDS
Dr Ife read the citation for the awardee Prof. Helen Oyebukola Nottidge , DVM, MSc, PHD, FCVSN. Dr. Oyedepo presented the award to her. He called her his sister, as she was a lecturer when she was a student.
She did note that the issue with the technician is not the problem of the veterinarians but the government, and the systems.
I’m a product of many technologist, my Professorship was based on the contribution of everyone.
She appreciated the NVMA, as they were part of those that helped her in her journey to Professorship as she got her samples from the Mokola vet clinic.
She took pictures with the persons on the high table.
GOOD WILL MESSAGE BY THE DEAN, FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
Dr Akanbi Ibikoye, Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Oyo State, brought the good will message as he represents the Special Guest of Honour, Hon. Adeniyi O. Adebisi who is commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Oyo state.
Mass vaccination throughout the state, food safety by the effort of Veterinary Officers at the abattoirs to deliver wholesome meat to the citizens of Oyo state, The butchers association of Oyo state will soon take a delivery of meat vans from the FMARD, digital registration of cattle breeders and closure of illegal cattle, sheep and goat markets within the state. The Oyo state governor has approved the renovation of all the nine state owned Veterinary facilities to Veterinary hospitals.
With regards to the question concerning unemployment, he promised to pass the message to the Oyo state government through the commissioner.
GOOD WILL MESSAGE BY DR FADIPE, THE NATIONAL SECRETARY GENERAL OF NVMA
He was happy to have witnessed the award ceremony of Prof Helen and appreciated the Dean and other dignitaries.
He brough greetings from the national president wwho is currently in Taiwan.
GOOD WILL MESSAGE FROM NAAHHT CHAIRMAN, OYO STATE
We are ready and set to work if all that is said here is implemented. He urge the representative of the commissioner, Dr Akanbi to include them in the employment considerations in the spirit of Inclusiveness.
GOOD WILL MESSAGE BY THE AVMS PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
He was humbled to be given a seat on the high table, he confessed it was the first time he’s given such recognition. After the event, he related to VNO that he didn't know he would be called to give a goodwill speech. A profound and succinct speech by the AVMS UI president.
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