By Gloria Ikibah
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Livestock has committed to revise the proposed 2025 budget to provide more support to the Veterinary Institute of Nigeria, recognizing its crucial role in producing vaccines to prevent disease outbreaks nationwide.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Livestock, Senator Musa Mustapha, gave the assurance during the institute’s 2025 budget defense session held in Abuja.
Senator Mustapha expressed the committee’s willingness to assist the institute in securing additional resources for vaccine production. Also the Chairman House Committee on Livestock, Rep. Wale Raji, who emphasised the importance of the institute to the Livestock Ministry, urged it to detail the requirements for scaling up vaccine production.
During the session, it was noted that the institute’s 2024 budget allocation was largely spent on diesel for machinery, as its storage facilities require high voltage power.
The committee advised the institute to improve public awareness of its work.
Director General of the institute, Dr. Maryann Muhammad, raised concerns over the N900 million proposed budget, calling it insufficient given the scale of its operations, including the production of over 40 million vaccine doses in response to disease outbreaks.
Other institutions, including the Federal Colleges of Animal Health and Production Technology in Mubi, Ibadan, and Zaria, also presented their 2025 budget proposals. The Mubi College highlighted its financial difficulties, citing a budget of over N2.7 billion but less than N1 million in revenue for 2024. Despite this, the committee acknowledged that the college is not expected to generate revenue but rather remit a portion of its expenditures.
The committee expressed concerns over the practical training focus of these institutions, stressing the need for students to develop entrepreneurial skills to contribute to the country’s economic growth.