Livestock experts in Bauchi State have warned farmers against indiscriminate use of antibiotics in animals, saying the practice could fuel antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and pose risks to animal and human health.
They gave the warning at the maiden Bauchi Livestock Stakeholders’ Engagement and Capacity Building Forum held at the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) Secretariat in Bauchi.
Speaking at the event, the State Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists (NAAHHT), Salisu Abubakar Buba, described animal health technologists as essential workforce for the implementation of livestock extension services and vaccination campaigns.
He said the absence of animal health technologists at abattoirs, livestock markets and border posts poses serious risks to meat safety, disease surveillance and the control of zoonotic diseases.
On his part, Dr Muhammad Sani Mu’azu, a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State, stressed the need for proper regulation of antimicrobial use in livestock production.
He warned that giving animals drugs and antibiotics without proper guidance could endanger human lives because people consume animal products.
In a presentation titled “Combating Antimicrobial Resistance in Food Animals: The Role of the One Health Approach in Securing Bauchi’s Animal Protein Value Chain”, Provost of the Bauchi State College of Agriculture, Dr Ahmed Isah Ahmed, described antimicrobial resistance as a major threat to human and animal health.
He explained that the misuse of antibiotics in livestock could increase animal deaths, treatment costs and production losses, affecting farmers’ incomes and the safety of animal products.
Ahmed called for a ‘One Health’ approach that brings together human and animal health professionals, farmers, environmental scientists and policymakers to tackle the problem.
He urged livestock farmers to use antibiotics only when necessary and under veterinary supervision.
He also recommended improved farm hygiene, vaccination, biosecurity, animal nutrition and proper record-keeping to reduce the need for antibiotics.
Others who presented papers at the event were Dr. Abdullahi Mohammed of the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi and Dr. Idi Saidu of the Bauchi State College of Agriculture.
The forum was organised by NAAHHT, in collaboration with the Bauchi State Ministry of Livestock Development, the L-PRES Project, MHWUN Bauchi State Council and the Centre of Excellence for Integrated Farming System at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi.
With the theme, “From Farm to Fork: Building a Resilient, Productive Livestock Sector under One Health in Bauchi State”, the forum brought together government officials, academics, farmers, traditional rulers, development partners and students to discuss ways to improve livestock production and animal health.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the forum, NAAHHT called on the Bauchi State Government to employ animal health technologists and other livestock professionals to address staff shortages across the state’s 20 local government areas.
The association also called for the full implementation of the reviewed 100% Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for animal health technologists in the state and urged the Head of the Civil Service to intervene in the salary deductions affecting the workers in September 2026.
