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By Daniel Adaji
The Federal Government has rolled out a coordinated tsetse fly control programme in Taraba and Sokoto States, targeting disease-carrying parasites responsible for major livestock losses.
This is a move aimed at improving cattle health and boost productivity nationwide.
The intervention, led by the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, began on Monday, with the spraying of insecticides on cattle farms and key grazing locations to suppress tsetse fly populations and reduce the spread of livestock infections.
In Taraba State, the programme was launched in Jalingo under the supervision of the State Coordinator and Federal Epidemiology Officer, Dr. Emmanuel Yarai.
He said the first phase covers Jalingo, Ardo-Kola, Lau and Wukari Local Government Areas, noting that the exercise would be extended to the remaining 12 LGAs to achieve full statewide coverage.
Yarai explained that tsetse fly is the primary vector of trypanosomiasis, a highly endemic disease in Africa that inflicts heavy economic losses on livestock farmers. He said the disease attacks the blood and lymphatic systems of infected animals, causing fever, weight loss, anaemia, paralysis and, in severe cases, death.
He added that while most cattle breeds are vulnerable to the disease, West African N’dama cattle have a natural tolerance. According to him, the intervention also includes the deployment of biconical traps in strategic locations to sustain control efforts and further reduce infection rates beyond the initial spraying exercise.
In Sokoto State, the Ministry’s Coordinator, Dr. Umar Argungu, said livestock farmers worked with officials to identify grazing areas with high tsetse fly prevalence.
He noted that traps would be installed in affected locations to confirm infestation levels and address the problem.
Argungu said the team visited major livestock markets, including Kasuwan Kara in Sokoto North and Bodinga Local Government Areas, where engagements were held with farmers and traders. He added that concerns raised during the visits would be documented and forwarded for consideration in future government interventions.
The Director of Veterinary Services at the Sokoto State Ministry of Animal Health and Fisheries, Alhaji Abubakar Maidabo, urged farmers to promptly report disease outbreaks, warning that some livestock diseases are zoonotic and pose risks to human health.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Cattle Traders Association in Sokoto State, Alhaji Bashir Bello, said traders recorded severe losses during the last rainy season due to skin rashes linked to tsetse fly infestation. He said the problem affects all 23 local government areas, particularly hurumi and fadama zones between Sokoto South and Wamakko.
Bello also identified foot-and-mouth disease and peste des petits ruminants as other major livestock diseases affecting farmers, pledging that the association would ensure timely reporting of future outbreaks to enable swift intervention by the Ministry.