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| Standing for National Anthem in redcap and white, Chairman Committee on Agric, Colleges and Institutions Hon. Linus Okorie |
· *Shea butter Research Institute faces no objection.
The recently
held public hearing at the National Assembly, House of Representative Committee
on Agriculture, Colleges and Institutions led by Hon. Linus Okorie was very receptive
to inputs and objective criticisms to six agricultural bills that may soon be
passed into law for efficient global practice towards meeting global market.
Hon. Okorie
in his remark implored the professional stakeholders at the room 028, venue of
the public hearing to ensure objective inputs and criticisms that would give
all the bills a robust power to attain the best agricultural practice in
Nigeria, pointed that the economic diversification of our economy would not be
competitive if measures to ensure standard practices are not put in place to
drive the sector in a holistic manner of speaking with one voice.
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| Association of Vet Medical Student, University of Abuja, holding foodfarmnews National President Okwuada Steven |
Among the
bills are “ (1) a bill for an Act to regulate the Profession of Agriculture and
to make provision for the establishment, functions and administration of Nigeria
Institute for Agriculturists and for other related matters (HB.836). (2) A bill
for an Act to repeal the Veterinary surgeons Act. Cap. V3, laws of the
Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and for other related matters (HB.836). (3) A bill
for Act to Amend the Nigerian Research Institutes Act Cap. N132, Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to include the Establishment of the Shea Butter
Research Institute: and for other related Matters (HB.127). (4) A bill for an
Act to amend the Nigeria Cooperative Societies Act (Registration and Operation
of Cooperative Societies through the federation), cap. N98, law of the
federation of Nigeria, 2004 to provide for stiffer penalties to meet
Contemporary realities and for other related matters (HB.887). (5) A bill for
an Act to amend the Federal Universities of Agriculture Act, Cap. F22, laws of
the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to specify the Minimum qualification of the
chairman of the Governing council, Ownership of the intellectual property and
provide the pre action Notice to the university authority; and for Other
Related Matters (HB.1116). (6) A bill for an Act to establish the Fisheries
Research Institute of Nigeria, NGO, for Fisheries Research, Education and
cooperative Training in Nigeria and for other related Matters (HB 1310)”.
The first
bill asking for the establishment of Nigerian Institute of Professional
Agriculturalists presented by the Hon. Okorie received several supports, and
criticisms premised on the need to critically look into grey and conflicting
areas within the already established Acts for each existing profession in the
federation unit of the sector so as to avoid constitutional breach of the law.
Both Honorable
Mohammed Mongunu and Munir Babba
Danagundi supported the bill being co-sponsors alongside with many other
speakers and the Agricultural Society of Nigeria (ASN).
Speaking on
the need for one voice for agricultural development in terms of policy
presentation to Government, Hon. Mongunu said the establishment of the
Institute would be handy to checkmate rejection of our agricultural produce in
the global market, added that its timing cannot be better than now when the
Administration of President Mohammadu Buhari is clamoring for economic
diversification using agriculture with best agronomic practices to ensure
standard produce at the food value chains for healthy nutrition.
This
position was reinforced by Hon. Danagundi who pointed that the Committee on Agriculture
and other members of the Institute for Agriculture Research (IAR) had gone to
Sudan to under-study how same Institution has been speaking with one voice without
conflict among the different professions in the sector, pointed that the
passage of the bill for the establishment of the Institute in Nigeria would not
tampered with other different professional functions in the agricultural
federation unit of the country, but rather would add value to it.
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| Cross Section of Stakeholders |
The memorandum
submitted by Agricultural Society of Nigeria (ASN) National President, Dr.
Adeyemi Olojede totally supported the bill using thirteen (13) points to
buttress its support with Nos 5 saying that “like in Medicine, Engineering and
Law, there is no way you can practice animal science without soil, or
agricultural economics or agricbusiness without touching agronomy or crop
protection or extension. This apex body (NIAg) has taken care of all the
disciplines as they are well represented in the board of the Institute”.
“The proposed bill is highly encompassing,
coherent, scoped and focused considering the membership composition, the
discipline and objective as contained in the bill” Based on all the above “it
is the prayer of the agricultural Society of Nigeria that the proposed bill
should be allowed to sail through as the provisions contained therein are in
the best interest of agricultural profession, stakeholders and the nation”.
However this
position was met with three objections with strong advocacy for amendment and
adjustment of the grey areas for the bill to sail through for passage into law.
Other supporters of the bill are the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria
(ARCN), Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Agricultural
Science society of Nigeria and Animal Production Institute.
First to
make a case against the bill was the Nigeria Institute for Animal Science
(NIAS) led by Dr. I. A Adu who spoke on the need to allow different professions
in the sector to operate the act that had established them saying
“specialization is what the world is talking about like is found in the
medicine. It is wrong to say one Institute will regulate all the aspects of Agriculture.
The proposed law is becoming too late and it is going to cause confusion in the
sector. It is against NIAS mandate in the livestock industry; and it will stop
advancement in agricultural sector”.
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| Cross Section of Stakeholders |
Flowing in
the same direction with NIAS, Dr. Dele Oyediji representing the National
President, Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASSN) said that the Institute
should be given an encompassing name adding the oath his members as animal
scientists have sworn to did not permit joining another association.
Both
Professors Garba Sharubutu, President Veterinary Council of Nigeria and Ikoku
were of the view that many clauses in the bill have to be well defined for
clarity of professional conflict. Prof. Sharubutu pointed out that despite his
support for the bill, there were areas that needed to be clarified saying “the
colleges of agriculture students who are not degree holders have been sidelined
and there is no clear definition of some terminology in the bill.
Prof Ikoku
said he would have supported the bill if it were to be in year 1978, but with
present dispensation “there are several sharp things in the bill that need to
be well defined as regards specializations. This generalization cannot subsist
in agriculture because of many specializations that are involved.
At the end
of deliberation on the first bill, Hon. Linus observed that no memorandum was
presented by any civil society saying this was important to note against any
objection after the passage. He however asked whether there is any established
law that the passage of the bill into an Act would be contradicting.
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| Cross Section of Stakeholders |
Responding
Hon. Mongunu speaking as lawyer said the passage of the bill would not
contradict any constitutional act, a position that was supported by both Dr.
Olojede and Hon. Danagundi.
The “bill
for an Act to repeal the Veterinary Surgeons Act. Cap. V3, law of the
Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and other related Matters” had countered opposing
views along professional lines of veterinarians, pharmacists, animal
technologists and scientists who all argued that a single body cannot
effectively control, regulate and administer animals’ health and disease
control cum drug administration. This attracted longer argument based on Act
establishing the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) that gave power to
them over any drug administration and the rest.
Both ARCN
and many other stakeholders agreed that the bill to re-enact the veterinary
surgeon act 2016 be passed as a single body saying the passage would enhance
best practices in the administration of the practitioners and animal productivity
and health management in the country. While some other professional bodies held
a strong view against the bill for being passed.
The
committee of Deans of Veterinary, University of Abuja supported the passage of
the bill 100% saying it would enhance the quality of animals being consumed by
human-beings thereby effectively controlling zoonic diseases in Nigeria through
proper regulation and control. It will also regulate veterinary pathologists
and those that would be registered as surgeons in Nigeria.
But Dr.
Oyediji on behalf of NIAS disagreed with this position, stated that it was a
calculated ploy to stiff out its members, thereby asking that clauses in
section 16 (1) and 16 (3) be expunged as they have taken away their mandate power,
adding that the bill is intended to inherit the power of the Animal/Husbandry
in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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| Rt-Lt..Prof. Garba Sharubutu, Prof. B.M Agaue Fodio university, Mr. Dehinde Ayeni, Food Farm News & Prof. J.B Adeyanju. |
In his
paraphrase of the memorandum submitted by the Nigerian Association of Animal
Health and Husbandry Technologists, Dr. Oluwadare O. Paul, Federal College of
Animal Health and Production Technology, Moorplantion, Ibadan said that his
members did not support the bill because their roles were not well spelt out
saying there was a fraudulent use of the word Veterinary Para-Professional in
the bill. For instance there is no way that groups of persons categorized as
Veterinary Para Professional can perform as professionals. There is no due
qualification (s) specified for this group of persons called veterinary
Para-professionals. He demanded clarity on their role. See the full text below.
Also the
clause on administration of animal drugs dragged as the Pharmaceutical Council
of Nigeria ( PCN) claimed mandate ownership by the Act that had created it on
anything drug administration and productivity. But many argued that the
pharmaceutical training did not include animal pathological surgery that would
give them sound anatomy of animals towards adequate drug administration and
application.
One critical
question asked the PCN by Hon. Okorie was to know whether there is a particular
store of where both animals and human drugs are being sold in the country, but there was not proper
response than a place in Ibadan and one other which general opinions believed
is too decimal to the issue on ground.
The last
bill attended to on the first day of public hearing was the bill sponsored by
Hon. (Dr.) Abubakar Amuda Kannike seeking passage for the establishment of the
shea butter Research Institute based on its economic potential as a wild fruit
trees that can be properly harnessed for more economic value for the entire
nation and job creation for both women and the youths as both the ARCN and NIFOR
supported the bill to be passed without any opposition.
AN
ADDENDUM OF ARGUMENT PRESENTED BY NIGERIAN ANIMAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS ON THE
BILL FOR ACT TO REPEAL THE VETERINARY SURGEONS Act. Cap. V3, LAWS OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF
NIGERIA, 2004 AND FOR OTHER RELATED MATTERS (HB 836) AND RE-ENACT THE
VETERINARY SURGEONS ACT 2016 (HB. 1611836).
Sponsored
by The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Colleges
and Institutions, Hon. Linus Okorie, FCA.
-
By
introduction, an Animal Health and Husbandry/ Production Technologist is a
person trained in the specialized field of Animal Health and Husbandry/
Production and dully equipped with both knowledge and skill as his basic
working tools. He is the local facilitator of technological advancements and
the domestic implementer of the modern innovations in the discovery team at all
stages of Animal Welfare Delivery System (AWDS).
The
roles and duties of Animal Health Technologists are complementary to many
others in the areas of animal health, consumer safety and environmental
protection as cardinal players in animal welfare delivery team – while the Veterinary
surgeons are specially trained as consultants to perform surgery and prescribe
treatment to animals diagnosed with ailments, it is the Animal Health Technologists
who administer the drugs and effect the clinical management; take the feedbacks
and laboratory samples or other data related surveillance circumstances for the
scientists/ developers to examine and analyze towards the provision of quality
and dependable results, diagnosis, economic/ performance improvement and other
innovational development. The Technologists also make the necessary follow-up
to the client, treatment, consumer and society at large; compile report of any
new outbreaks, inspection of slaughtered animals, and ensure provision of safe
and animals for human consumption. The Technologists also regulate movement of
animals across the nation – especially in the spread and control of outbreaks
and epidemics. He coordinates vaccination programs and campaigns for animals
and offer general extension services in towns and villages amongst other
regulated duties and services.
The
Nigerian Association of Animal Health Practitioners wishes to humbly forward
the following arguments to further call for the attention of other stakeholders
to the following observations as Nigerian experience of Veterinary Legislation
and Veterinary Practice, which concerns the Animal Health profession, Practice
and Professionalism:
1.
The fact
that when announcement for this Open Hearing was published, it probably or
carefully out left the issue of “and Re-Enactment of the Veterinary Surgeons
Act 2016 (HB 836)”. The probability here might means in the sincerity of
integrity and honesty of omission; or consciously done with due care, which
might amount to obnoxious consent as further expression of biased aptitudes.
However, this actually denied us of full information hindered us of sacrosanct
preparation in the development and submission of our position papers as
stakeholders.
2.
That
Nigerian Veterinary Practitioners have always been parading around the Hallowed
Chambers of the National Legislature or other Legal Centers for various
encumbering issues of their practice, profession or professionalism than most
other sectors of the national economy, especially on the issues around Bills or
other related matters – to Repeal or Re-Enact, to Edit or Amend or call for
Amendment etc. This should be the time to call for decent approach that can
move us forward as a nation through reasonable consideration of this particular
subject matter. Since Healthcare Delivery is a composite professional
jurisprudence – it therefore place holistic legislative demands and ethical
responsibilities for due consideration, perusal and technical competence on the
Nigerian veterinary practice to recognize or acknowledge, engage, adopt and
involve every other players, members and components in Animal Welfare Delivery
Team for our national healthcare interests, domestic development, local
survival and global relevance indicia.
3.
Arbitration to International Legal Framework for Fair and Stable
Globalization – achieving the goal of decent work
in the globalized economy requires action at the international level. The world
community is responding to this challenge in part by developing international
legal instruments on trade, finance, environment, human rights and labour. The
ILO contributes to this legal framework by elaborating and promoting
international labour standards aimed at making sure that economic growth and
development go along with the creation of decent work. The long overdue approach
of repealing of the Nigerian Veterinary Surgeons’ Bill is sacrosanct to the
emergence of other contemporary players of global animal welfare delivery team
in Nigeria – in both the existing
Veterinary Surgeons’ Act Cap. 464 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and
the Veterinary Surgeons Act 2016 (HB. 1611836) to be re-enacted, there are
inundated conflictions, confusions, crises and challenges enlisted due to wrong
or falsified interpretation, biased adoption, erroneous application and
disenfranchised others in the domestication of local veterinary profession,
practice and professionalism as stipulated by conglomerates of multinational membership countries and other principal multi-governmental
organizations of reference:
a.
Office International de Epizooties (OIE) was created in January 25th
1924 to fight animal diseases at global level through the office of World
Organization for Animal Health (WOHA) to promote animal health, animal welfare;
the consumer safety and public health as well as protection of environmental
safety. The Nigerian experience as Veterinary Authority – which the Veterinary
Council of Nigeria is a local reflection of its global face. Therefore, Bamako
(OIE) 2011 Declaration strongly advocates for the emergence of Animal Health
Practitioners Regulatory Authority in every member countries in this
multi-governmental organization, which Nigeria is not only a principal player
but also a signatory.
b.
World Health Organization (WHO) – Geneva 2001 Global
One Health-One Medicine Initiatives for Tropical Health adopted the African
Medical and Public Health Agreement for tropical membership countries to
attract, harmonize and encourage competence, complementary and decent
professionalism among health professionals and technical workers to drive
quality indigenous resources and objective healthcare delivery.
c.
International Labor Organization (ILO) – The ILO
report also shows that legislation alone is not sufficient to fight
discrimination effectively. Ninety per cent of member states have ratified the
ILO core labour standards seeking to fight discrimination and have thereby
committed themselves to enacting laws to this effect. But discrimination is
still part of everyday life. The need to protect
people from being discriminated against on the grounds of age, disability, sex,
sexual identity, orientation and service, racial or ethnic origin and religion
and belief. Therefore, protection against discrimination is enshrined in the
member countries’ constitution and an Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines
Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, abbreviated to AGG) was enacted in 2006 in Germany.
d.
International Trade Organization (ITO) – Occupational safety
and health: When
trade unions demand decent working conditions, they mean
more than a decent wage. The argument for the agreement ass that “Work-life
balance is the balance a worker can achieve between family life, private life
and profession. Adjusting this balance is also a factor in decent work. The
expansion of decent work with fair pay throughout many developing and emerging
countries has a direct impact on environmental protection. If people cannot
care for themselves, they will not be able to protect the environment either”.
Therefore, professional intimidation, molestation and orchestrated cohesion or
corrosive inclusion of Animal health Practitioners by the Nigerian Veterinary
practitioners through the Veterinary Council of Nigeria is ethically porous,
biased and a demonstration of misplacement of priority.
e.
Food and Agriculture Organization – Report of the
Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations,
International Labor Conference, 102nd Session, 2013 – food,
agriculture, health and productive society is a composite dividend that entails:
i.
Freedom of associations, collective bargaining and
industrial relations
ii.
Abolition of Forced Labor
iii.
Equity of opportunity and treatment under tripartite
consultation
iv.
Employment policy and promotion
v.
Vocational guidance and training
vi.
Employment security and wages
4.
In addition, this domesticated unethical
Nigerian Veterinary Legislation gesture and attitude is in total aberration to
various local concepts and contents –
a.
Annexure
II, Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Veterinary Legislation and Veterinary
Practice in Nigeria – Wednesday 29th to Thursday 30th
August 2005, Confluence Beech Hotel, Lokoja Kogi State: The Roles of Animal
Health and Husbandry Technologists in Nigerian Economic Livestock Production
and Development: adoption of Collaborative Working Environment – a collaborative working environment (CWE) supports people (e.g.
e-professionals) in their local professionalism, individual professionals and
cooperative professional work for objective research in CWE, which involves
organizational, technical and social issues. Even if anything worthwhile will
be for Nigerian Interface of Global Animal Health Practice, Veterinary
Legislation must ensure the agreed the emergence, emancipation and integration
of the main stakeholders and players, especially the organizational
harmonization of Veterinary Surgeons, Animal Health Practitioners.
Thereafter, there was a Joint-Committee of Nigerian
veterinary Surgeons and Nigerian Animal Health and Husbandry technologists set
up by the extant of this Agreement to draft and develop a copy of the Harmonized
Comparative Provisions for the Nigerian Veterinary Surgeons and Nigerian Animal
Health Technologists as a single Harmonized Comparative Provisions for the
Nigerian Veterinary and Animal Health Practitioners Board be presented
to the Nigerian Hallowed Legislative Chambers for the perusal and necessary
legislative actions and enactment, which the subsequent leadership of Nigerian
Veterinary Council declined to administer for reasons which are yet to be
disclosed up to this present moment.
b.
It
stands as a breach of interest and practice to the ethical agreement to form
Nigerian Veterinary Regulatory Body by the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and
Nigerian Animal Health Practitioners Council (NAHPC) when fully constituted,
which was another agreement during Dr. G. A. P. Ogundipe-led Veterinary Council
of Nigeria administration through the Nigerian Veterinary Statutory Body as stipulated by the multinational
players agreement of the animal welfare
(Terrestrial or Aquatic Codes) delivery for the animal, environment, consumers
and the global society of OIE, WHO, FAO, ITO, ILO, amongst others.
c.
In addition, this gesture and attitude is also
against the judgment delivered by the Hon. Justice (Dr.) Dingba on 24th
March 2017 with Suit No: FHC/ Abj/CS/66/2008 NVMA Vs. PCN. This should be
deleted from this Bill.
5.
The
approved training and qualification of the Veterinary Profession lacks due
interpretation, welfare consideration, terms of reference for registration and
regulation of any Para-Professional concepts, contents or competence,
therefore, the welfare, operational jurisprudence and occupational interests of
these “Veterinary Para-Professionals”
will NEVER
be protected as they are not represented in the Council membership as enlisted
in the Bill. Therefore, since the Veterinary Council of Nigeria is just a
single spine regulatory body of the veterinarians thereby referred to as
“Veterinary Authority”, it is totally unacceptable for the Veterinary Council
of Nigeria to translate, translocate or mutate its functions to regulate other
Professionals in Animal Welfare Delivery Team or Global Animal Health Practice as
regulatory and statutory body for registration and oversight functions. In
addition, This Bill that established
the Nigerian Veterinary Council has no provisional interpretation and
operational terms to admit, train, graduate, register or regulate other Para-professionals captioned in its
functions, it is therefore an obnoxious oversight to supervise, regulate and
manage what the veterinary profession was never part of in the definition,
making and administration of its constituents and components.
Our Prayers
We,
therefore, strongly reject any subtle subjugation through injurious inclusion
of the name, title, practice, profession or professionalism of “Animal Health”
in any Part, Section, Sub-Section or Subject, for instance as contained in Part
1, Section 2 (g), which stated that “The Director of Veterinary Services of
each State and the Head of the Animal Health Section of the Federal Capital”,
because it was Boldly captioned “who shall be a Registered veterinary Surgeon”
in the proposed Re-Enactment of 2016 Bill 2016 proposed.
In
addition, the word “Para” in the context of this quest for professional
jurisprudence should be rather applied as Allied” as applicable in other
global relevant animal health references for domestic (national) professionalism,
functions and operations.
SIGNED this 10th May, 2018 for NAAHHT Rapid Response Technical Team (RRTT) by:
OLUWADARE O. Paul,
AFIOR, CAHT, FHRD.
Federal College of Animal Health
and Production Technology,
REFERENCES
Collins Webster Dictionary (2012)
Decent
work and poverty eradication: Literature Review and Two-Country Study – A
Study for the Decent Work and Labour Standards Forum, January 2010
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborative_working_environment
http://www.decent-work-worldwide.org/index.php?option=com_content&...
http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/introduction-to-international-labour-s...
http://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/102/media-centre/news/WCMS_216400/lang, 102nd International Labour Conference – No Sustainable Development Without Environmental
Sustainability and Decent Work
International Journal of
Institute for Operations research (Vol. 12, 2006): Technologists in The
Nations’ Building
International
Labor Office, Geneva
Oxford Learners Dictionary
(2008)
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