Bird flu: Poultry farmers petition FG over compensation

Poultry farmers in Plateau and Bauchi states have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe, over nonpayment of compensation following the destruction of their poultry farms affected by bird flu.

The farmers called on the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, come to their aid by paying the compensation, for them to return back to their businesses.

In the petition signed by Godfrey Opara, on behalf of the affected victims and made available to journalists in Jos, the farmers explained that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture had in January this year agreed to compensate poultry farmers, whom their birds were depopulated (killed) as directed by the ministry.

The farmers said the directive came after it was confirmed that their birds were infected by the Avian influenza at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom in Jos.

They narrated that the agreement entered between the ministry in conjunction with World Bank and poultry farmers was that whoever his or her birds was ffected by Avian influenza infection, his birds would be killed and the ministry would pay N1450 per egg laying bird, adding that the ministry had promised to settle the farmers since January but is yet to do so.

They noted that all the birds of the affected farmers were killed since then and many of them were not compensated as earlier agreed, adding, “even though after lots of complaints and protests by the affected victims regarding the issue, the ministry started paying the money, some received N1450 per bird while some got N650, and others received N520 per bird without any explanation as to why some were paid less than the initial agreement with the ministry.”

They, however, revealed that out of the 167 affected farmers in Plateau and Bauchi states, only 104 people were paid so far, and the rest of about 63 farmers have not been paid. They explained that sometime in March this year, some farmers were compensated on the agreed amount of N1450 but some were subsequently paid arbitrarily by cutting down the amount to N650, and some N520.

When contacted over the matter, the Director Epidemiology Division of the Department of Veterinary Control Service, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Gidado Muhammad, said,“Yes, some farmers have not been paid because we don’t have sufficient funds in the ministry and the payment depends on the availability of funds.”

But the farmers believed that the money should be available since the ministry had agreed to compensate them within a short period of time, adding that they have been visiting the ministry in Abuja on different occasions without positive response.