Lagos has dying birds, not diagnosed yet

Daily Champion (Lagos)

July 4, 2006
Posted to the web July 5, 2006

Lagos

President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday described as false media report (not Daily Champion) alleging an outbreak of Avian influenza in Taraba State.

The President made the denial while addressing a delegation of the Poultry Association of Nigeria in State House.

He said "it has not been diagnosed or classified as avian flu. I spoke to the Governor, who told me that in a backyard farm in Ibi, some birds were dying, and based on precedent, he ordered them slaughtered and the farm cordoned off. This is the normal thing to do."

"Nobody has the right to call this avian flu; no diagnosis has been carried out to ascertain the problem. It could be any of half a dozen chicken diseases", he said.

President Obasanjo told the Association that he was satisfied with the action taken by the Taraba State Governor and advised that "Nigerians shouldn't rush to call themselves bad names, giving the nation a bad image without foundation".

He said the country now had "enough equipment to contain any outbreaks of the avian flu, even to cover the West African sub-region", and commended members of the Poultry Association for the support they gave to the Government during the unfortunate outbreak of the flu in February.

While welcoming the determination of the poultry farmers to begin exporting day-old chicks and hatchable eggs by November 2006, despite the six-month setback arising from losses from the flu, the President said Government would encourage the achievement of that goal and challenged them to set a target of $20 million export earnings by the end of the year.

He also spoke of the need to get support for the small farmers, since "the banks will not touch their business because it is small".

President Obasanjo also said the Federal Government would encourage State governments to include eggs in the school meal programmes.

The President commended the Ministers of Agriculture, Health and Information and National Orientation and their staff for the exemplary cooperation during the avian flu outbreak in the country. "Their cooperation stood out in Africa as an example on how to treat the avian flu", he said.

Earlier, Otunba Badmus, president of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, had told President Obasanjo that the Association suffered losses amounting to N24 billion to the flu, and needed access to soft bank loans to be able to recover and begin export in November, 2006. He also stated the preparedness of the Association to provide sufficient eggs for the school feeding programme.