The Federal Government has commenced a pre-training workshop for the National Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Sero-Surveillance Field Activity, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s disease surveillance system and generating reliable epidemiological evidence to support the country’s target of eradicating PPR by 2030.
The two-day workshop, held in Lafia, Nasarawa State, brought together veterinary epidemiologists, state veterinary officers, researchers, animal health professionals, private veterinarians and other stakeholders from selected states, with technical and financial support from the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).
Declaring the workshop open on Monday, August 24, 2026, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria (CVON), Dr. Samuel Anzaku, said the exercise was crucial due to the gap between suspected disease outbreaks reported from the field and cases confirmed through laboratory testing.
He stressed that reliable laboratory evidence was essential for understanding disease circulation and making informed decisions on vaccination and other control measures.
According to him, the surveillance exercise would provide current and geographically representative evidence on PPR exposure, disease circulation and population immunity, thereby helping authorities develop targeted interventions.
“Disease surveillance without adequate laboratory confirmation limits our ability to understand what is actually happening. We need current, geographically representative and scientifically defendable evidence on where PPR is circulating, where suspected populations are concentrated and what level of immunity exists within the sheep and goat populations,” he said.
The CVON noted that the exercise was more than a sample collection activity, describing it as an important component of Nigeria’s national animal health intelligence system. He stressed that the quality of samples and data collected would directly determine the usefulness of the results.
Anzaku maintained that Nigeria’s 2030 PPR eradication target remained achievable but would require effective surveillance, reliable laboratory evidence, targeted vaccination, continuous monitoring and sustained political commitment.
Representing AU-IBAR, Mr. Charles Lodiaga reaffirmed the Bureau’s support for Nigeria’s surveillance efforts, describing the exercise as an important contribution to the African and global goal of eradicating PPR.
He called for sustained commitment to ensure that the exercise produced reliable results that would strengthen disease control and improve livestock farmers’ livelihoods.
Welcoming participants, the Director of Veterinary Services, Nasarawa State, Dr. Abdullahi Musa, urged them to take the training seriously, noting that accurate surveillance data would help authorities determine disease prevalence, identify hotspots and implement appropriate control measures.
The workshop covered the epidemiology and surveillance status of six priority diseases: PPR, Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Newcastle Disease, Anthrax and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).
Participants were also trained on selection criteria, sampling strategies, target populations, farm coding, personal protective equipment (PPE), sharps management, biosecurity, prevention of cross-contamination and the safe handling of cattle, poultry, sheep and goats.
A key component of the workshop was the development of standard protocols for the field assignment to ensure uniformity in sample collection, identification, handling and data capture across participating states.
Practical sessions featured demonstrations involving sheep, goats and poultry, covering animal restraint, venipuncture, sample labelling, tagging and data capture. Participants also shared field experiences and discussed practical challenges associated with disease surveillance and sample collection.
The PPR National Project Coordinator, Dr. Patience Tomoh, said the PPR sero-surveillance exercise would cover 10 states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and 35 Local Government Areas selected based on identified risk levels.
The states are Bauchi, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Cross River, Imo and Ogun.
As part of the exercise, the team visited the Akwanga Slaughter Slab and a pig farm, where participants applied the knowledge gained during the training by demonstrating standardised protocols for the safe collection and handling of animal health samples.
