By A Professor of Meat Science at the University of Ibadan, Professor Andrew Babatunde Omojola has submitted that Nigeria has the potential to export animal products to regional and international markets thus contributing to its foreign exchange earnings and economic growth.
He made the submission while delivering the 570th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Agriculture.
The inaugural lecturer stated that animal products play a crucial role in Nigeria’s economy and national development, contributing significantly to the GDP, employment, food security, and nutrition.
He, therefore, called for efforts to address the challenges and leverage the opportunities in the sector to further enhance its contribution to Nigeria’s development goals.
The title of the lecture was “Animal Products in the Eye of the Storm: The Untold Story”.
Professor Omojola identified the challenges facing the animal product industry as disease outbreaks, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to finance and technology.
He said that addressing these challenges would present opportunities for growth and development such as improving productivity through better animal husbandry practices, investing in processing and value addition, and enhancing market access through improved infrastructure and trade facilitation.
Professor Omojola while addressing some misconceptions about animal products, stated that the claims that red meat causes cancer are exaggerated; that meat does not increase cardiovascular disease risk; that no conclusive evidence supports the claim that meat consumption causes type 2 diabetes while milk is wrongly blamed for osteoporosis, acne, and obesity.
He advised that the focus should rather shift from red meat to overall dietary patterns and lifestyle factors.
He further encouraged the management of the University of Ibadan to key in to the new Ministry of Livestock Development by partnering with the new ministry in policy formulation and the creation of an enabling action plan.
The Inaugural Lecture was the twentieth in the series for the 2023/2024 academic session.
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