Gombe State has launched its 2025/2026 statewide vaccination campaign against major livestock diseases, targeting cattle, sheep and goats across all Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
Deputy Governor Manassah Daniel Jatau, who represented Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya at the flag-off ceremony at Tumfure Bashar along the bypass on Wednesday, urged livestock owners, farmers, traditional rulers and veterinary officials to work together to ensure the success of the exercise.
The campaign targets Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle, as well as Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in sheep and goats.
Jatau said protecting animal health was vital to human health, food security and the livelihoods of communities dependent on livestock.
He noted that the health of people, animals and the environment was interconnected, adding that livestock provided food, income and other agricultural benefits, while supporting related industries such as leather production.
The deputy governor said the state had strengthened its livestock sector through the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development, renovation and equipping of veterinary clinics, construction of a diagnostic laboratory, a solar-powered cold-chain facility and livestock training centres.
He also disclosed that work had commenced on an 184-hectare Special Livestock Development Zone, which will include an ultra-modern abattoir, tannery, international livestock market, veterinary hospital, poultry production unit and inland dry port.
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According to him, the project is expected to reduce the need for livestock owners to transport live animals over long distances to other parts of the country.
On farmer-herder relations, Jatau said the government had established a Farmers-Herders Resolution Committee and was working to re-demarcate cattle routes and grazing reserves to promote peaceful coexistence and reduce conflicts.
He urged local government chairmen, traditional rulers, livestock associations, farmers and pastoralists to support the initiative and cooperate with veterinary teams during the vaccination exercise.
The deputy governor also advised herders to use designated cattle routes instead of major roads, noting that livestock movement on highways could damage road shoulders and increase maintenance costs.
Commissioner for Livestock Development, Salisu Baba Alkali, said the three-week vaccination exercise would cover all LGAs and LCDAs in the state.
He said the government remained committed to improving veterinary services, disease surveillance, livestock production and the broader livestock value chain.
Alkali urged livestock owners, pastoralists, breeders’ associations and other stakeholders to make their animals available to veterinary teams, stressing that widespread participation was essential to effective disease control.
He acknowledged the support of development partners, including the Gombe State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), in strengthening the vaccination programme.
The State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr Abdulhamid Shauti Garba, described livestock as a major component of Nigeria’s agricultural economy and urged farmers to cooperate with the vaccination teams.
He said livestock diseases continued to threaten the sector and that the campaign demonstrated the commitment of the federal and state governments to protecting livestock resources, livelihoods, public health and food security.
The Gombe State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Rearers Association, Modibbo Yaya, commended the governor’s livestock development initiatives and efforts to promote peaceful relations between farmers and herders.
Yaya, however, appealed for government intervention over alleged encroachment on cattle routes and grazing areas in Dukku, which he said were being cultivated by some security personnel.
The event featured the symbolic vaccination of animals and the presentation of livestock-related items by Miyetti Allah and community and animal health workers.
