28/09/2026
WRD 2026: NVMA Kogi Advocates for Funding of One-health.
โฆ. Calls for a Review and Domestication of Kogi State Rabies Control and Responsible Dog Ownership Billโฆ
Today, 28th September, Kogi joins the world to mark World Rabies Day. We mark it not for ceremony, but because rabies is still killing our loved ones.
Rabies is 99.9% fatal once symptoms appear, but 100% preventable. A single dog bite, a single scratch, can end a family. In 2025, Bassa LGA in Plateau lost 12 lives, including a family of three. Kogi, with its 21 LGAs, its large dog population used for hunting and security, and its porous borders, cannot afford to be complacent.
This year's global theme, "Stronger Together", speaks directly to us. It tells us that no profession alone can defeat rabies. We need the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Education, our veterinary officers, medical doctors, environmental health officers, community leaders and pet owners. That is the One Health approach.
The Federal Government, under the new Federal Ministry of Livestock Development led by Minister Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has set a clear target: 70% annual dog vaccination and zero human deaths by 2030. In October 2025, 26,000 doses were deployed to eight high-risk states. Just last month, FCT flagged off vaccination of 20,000 dogs across 62 wards. This is commendable. But for Kogi to benefit, we must put our own house in order.
And that brings me to the hard truth I must say today:
Our laws on rabies are outdated and weak.
What law are we using to control stray dogs in Kogi today?
1. The Rabies Act of 1935. It defines a stray dog correctly, it gives power to seize and destroy after 3 days, but it was made for a colonial administration with pounds and dog-catchers. It does not speak to modern population management, responsible ownership, or compensation.
2. The Dogs Law, Cap 36 of Northern Nigeria. Also a colonial law, adopted by virtue of Section 315 of the 1999 Constitution. It makes keeping a dog without license an offence. But how many dogs in Lokoja, Okene, Anyigba, Ankpa have licenses today? Less than 5%. The fee is outdated, enforcement is weak, and there is no state-wide database.
Gentlemen of the press, we cannot eliminate a 21st-century disease with 20th-century laws.
Therefore, on this World Rabies Day 2026, I make three humble calls to the Kogi State Government:*
First, Review and Domesticate a Kogi State Rabies Control and Responsible Dog Ownership Bill 2026. This law should:
- Make annual rabies vaccination compulsory,
- Establish a state-wide dog registry and licensing system,
- Stipulate clear penalties for owners who allow dogs to stray, and liability for bite injuries,
- Replace shooting on sight with humane population management ; vaccination, identification, and where necessary, humane sheltering.
Second, Fund One Health: Allocate a dedicated budget line for rabies control under the LPRES project, of which Kogi State is already a beneficiary. This should support free mass vaccination of dogs, sensitization campaigns for school children and adults on rabies prevention, and free provision of post-exposure prophylaxis at state-owned hospitals.
Third, Create a Kogi State One Health Rabies Task force.
Ladies and gentlemen, the days of rabies terrorising Kogi families must be numbered. We have the vaccine. We have the knowledge. What we lack is updated law and coordinated will.
As we say today: Stronger Together.
Let Kogi lead. Let us make Kogi the first state in North Central to be rabies-free.
Thank you.
Dr Tolu Omotugba,
Chairman, NVMA Kogi state.
