Uncategorized

Quarantine agency decries inadequate funding, manpower to operate

Published

6 years ago

August 29, 2019

The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has expressed concern over inadequate manpower and funding to effectively carry out its operations.

Director, Animal Quarantine Dr Abiodun Akinjo, stated this on Thursday in Abuja that the agency has only 30 veterinary officers among other personnel to man over 52 border posts across the country.

According to him, the number is grossly inadequate, and the gap is greatly impeding on the agency’s operations.

“There is urgent need for the appropriate authorities to come to the aid of the agency.

“We have over 52 border stations all over the country but we cannot meet up with the number because we have to seek for the approval to go ahead and employ more.

“Therefore, we have serious need for more veterinary doctors.

“We cannot adequately cover these areas but what we are doing at the moment is to make sure that every entry and exit points have at least a veterinary doctor and other personnel like animal husbandry and livestock development officers among others.

“However, there is need for veterinary doctors to oversee all these categories of officers which are not not also sufficient.

“We operate 24/7 services through morning, afternoon and night shifts, but to be able to do this effectively we need adequate manpower,” Akinjo said.

The director specifically cited a scenario where the Nigerian Immigration Service on opening new borders wrote to the agency requesting for equivalent personnel to man the areas.

Akinjo said that the agency was unable to meet the demand due to a lack of adequate manpower.

“Being a new agency, we are hopeful that the government will approve or give us consideration to employing more hands so that we can meet up with the challenges ahead of us, employment is very crucial.”

Akinjo appealed to the Federal Government to prioritize adequate budgetary allocation to the agency in order to procure standard equipment and official vehicles for its field workers.

“We should be funded properly which is key; adequate and timely provision of funds will assist the agency to respond quickly,

Share on Facebook

Uncategorized

CLTC DG Reaffirms FG’s Dedication to Nurturing Innovative, Productive Nigerian Youth

Published

1 week ago

September 29, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The Director-General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC), Ms. Rinsola Abiola, has reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to raising young Nigerians who are productive, innovative, and imbued with patriotism, service, and integrity.

She gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja in her goodwill message at the ongoing two-day Retreat on Presidential Priorities and Deliverables — 2025 Mid-Term Review, where she also commended the Ministry of Youth Development, led by Hon. Ayodele Olawande, for championing youth-focused initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to Abiola, the retreat provides a unique opportunity to review and realign efforts to ensure that government policies and programmes translate into measurable impact in the lives of Nigerian youths.

“This retreat is both timely and strategic. It provides a platform to collectively review, align, and sharpen our focus on the priorities of Mr. President. More importantly, it allows us to deepen collaboration within the youth development sector to ensure that government policies deliver real change to our young people,” she said.

Highlighting the Centre’s achievements, Abiola disclosed that over 6,000 youths have been trained in value orientation and re-orientation in the just-concluded half-year period. She emphasized that the CLTC, with its long history of building citizenship values, leadership capacity, discipline, and volunteerism, remains steadfast in supporting the Ministry’s mandate and national priorities.

“We see ourselves as partners in this great task of nation-building. Our goal is to raise young Nigerians who are not only productive and innovative but also committed to the spirit of service, patriotism, and integrity,” she added.

Abiola urged stakeholders and participants at the retreat to bring forward actionable strategies that would strengthen coordination, eliminate bottlenecks, and accelerate delivery on presidential mandates.

She concluded by reaffirming CLTC’s readiness to collaborate with the Ministry and other agencies to advance youth development across Nigeria.

Share on Facebook