Rescuing animal productivity from FMARD internal crisis

Chief Audu Ogbeh.

The challenges facing animals productivity in the country may be deepened if appropriate steps are not taken to correct the internal posting recently carried out in the Department of Animal and Husbandry of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).

Although the internal posting carried out in March this year was said to be a general one among the directors of the ministry, but the one for the department of Animal and Husbandry was perceived as a witch hunt emanating from the veterinarians who were said to be totally against the new creation in the first instance as there was a long time battle between the two professions i.e. animal scientists and veterinarians.

 Animal and Husbandry was curved out from Veterinary Department to stand on its own by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) under the leadership of former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina so as to ensure professional ethics through best global policy practice that would enhance animal productivity especially in the face of herdsmen movement for foods and water.

Presently the internal posting had since witnessed the replacement of Dr. Ademola Moshood Raji, an animal scientist with a female veterinarian Dr. Egejuru Eze, and this has been seen by stakeholders as a slap to professionalism and civil service due process cum regulations. 

 Civil Service Commission, OHCSF and the National Association of Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASSAN) together with Labour Union have expressed their resentment on the posting for various reasons that have a common face of professionalism preach saying “posting of officer within the ministry to post outside their professionalism cadre is prohibited”.

Food Farm News gathered that the erroneous impression according to a source about the appointment of Dr. Raji as level grade 14 officer was officially clarified by the Civil Service Commission at an organized interactive meeting between the Permanent Secretary, FMARD  and OHCSF where he (Dr. Raji) was cleared as GL 17 officer with entitlement to occupy the post of a Director at the Federal Ministry from another government agency did not yield any fruitful result till this time despite a letter written to the present Minister to revert this decision so as to allow the director to complete his tenure.

Part of the clause of the letter written to Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh and which was made available to us read thus “ it is pertinent to note that at the said meeting of march, 2016, the PS, Agric informed the commission that all actions taken by him were predicated upon the directive of the Hon. Minister. It is against this background that the commission feels strongly compelled to bring the matter urgently to your attention and to correct the erroneous impression on the status of Dr. Raji”.

“Reiterate that Dr. Raji should be allowed to complete his tenure which ends by June 2016. If his service is no longer required, the process of his de-secondment should be effected through the FCSC, and observed that a veterinary Doctor is not professionally quality to head the Animal production and Husbandry Department as he does not have the locus standing to certify the animal production and husbandry services staff working under him for Examination purposes”.

All the effort on the part of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment through a meeting called at her instance between Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASSAN) and FMARD has not up till now yielded any positive effect.