The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), Kogi Chapter, has urged the state government to review and domesticate the Kogi State Rabies Control and Responsible Dog Ownership Bill 2026. This call was made by the Chairman of the association, Dr. Tolu Omotugba, on Monday in Lokoja at a news conference held at the NVMA Secretariat to mark the 2026 World Rabies Day. The association seeks to strengthen rabies prevention and control in the state.
According to Dr. Omotugba, the current laws, including the Rabies Act of 1935 and the Dogs Law, Cap 36 of Northern Nigeria, are outdated and inadequate to tackle the disease effectively. These laws were made for colonial administration and do not provide for modern population management, responsible ownership, compensation, or a state-wide database. As a result, licensing compliance is less than five per cent in Lokoja, Okene, Anyigba, and Ankpa.
The proposed bill seeks to make annual rabies vaccination compulsory, establish a state-wide dog registry and licensing system, and stipulate clear penalties for owners who allow dogs to stray. It also aims to replace shooting on sight with humane management through vaccination, identification, and sheltering. Dr. Omotugba emphasized that the state cannot rely on weak laws to tackle a disease that is 99.9 per cent fatal once symptoms appear but 100 per cent preventable.
Kogi State, with 21 LGAs, a large dog population used for hunting and security, and porous borders that link many states, cannot afford complacency, according to Dr. Omotugba. The state joins the world to mark World Rabies Day, not for ceremony, but because rabies is still killing people. In 2025, Bassa LGA in Plateau lost 12 lives, including a family of three, due to dog bites.
The 2026 global theme, “Stronger Together”, calls for collaboration among Ministries of Health, Environment, Education, and Livestock, veterinary officers, medical doctors, environmental health officers, and community leaders under the One Health approach. Dr. Omotugba commended the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development for targeting 70 per cent annual dog vaccination and zero human deaths by 2030.
Dr. Omotugba also called for dedicated funding for One Health under the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project, of which Kogi is a beneficiary. This funding will support free mass dog vaccination, sensitization campaigns in schools and communities, and provision of post-exposure prophylaxis in state hospitals. He further advocated the creation of a Kogi State One Health Rabies Task Force to coordinate inter-ministerial response.
On manpower, Dr. Omotugba urged the state government to employ a minimum of two veterinary doctors per LGA, and up to five where possible, to drive surveillance and disease reporting. He noted that the current number of veterinary officers in the Kogi civil service is not enough, with some LGAs not having even one. The state is urged to lead as the first in North-Central to be rabies-free.
Key points
- The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association demands review of outdated laws to tackle rabies
- Proposed bill seeks to make annual rabies vaccination compulsory and establish a state-wide dog registry
- Kogi State urged to employ more veterinary doctors to drive surveillance and disease reporting
