Compensation controversy regarding poultry in Nigeria

[Gert van der Hoek]

Nigeria: Kanem Trust - Bird Flu - Yobe Kills 4,000 Birds

Daily Trust (Abuja)

10 June 2007
Posted to the web 11 June 2007

Isa Umar Gusau
Damaturu

The coordinator, Yobe state Avian Influenza Control Project, Dr Maina Yusuf, has said that over four thousand birds have been killed in different parts of the state in order to stop the spread of the dreaded Avian Influenza popular called bird flu.

The coordinator was speaking at a ceremony in Damaturu during which some poultry farmers in the state whose birds were killed under the flu control project were paid compensation by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Yusuf explained that the exercise cuts across farms located in four local government areas in the state including Fika, Fune, Potiskum and Jakusko. He noted that some of the birds were already infected while others were feared affected and had to be killed to avoid spread of the disease especially since it can infect human beings.

Six farmers, all from Fika local government area, were presented with a cheque valued at two hundred and seventy three thousand, eight hundred naira.

While presenting the cheque, representative of the National Avian Influenza Control Project, Mr. Adeoye Adeniyi, explained that the compensation should have been paid earlier, but there was delay arising from verification and documentation of information from farmers.

Adeniyi tasked the Yobe state Ministry of Animal and Fisheries, which handles the case in the state, to hasten and forward documented information concerning other farmers, whose birds were also killed so that they will receive compensation in the next phase, coming shortly.

The state's coordinator of the Avian Influenza Control Project, Dr Yusuf, assured that all the other farmers affected in the project will surely receive compensation as soon as possible, when documentation is completed by the ministry.

In his response, permanent secretary, Ministry of Animal and Fisheries, Alhaji Ahmad Haruna Godowol, promised the commitment of the ministry towards facilitating the compensation to other farmers by way of documentation. He noted that work is in progress. Representative of the six farmers compensated in the first phase, Madu Lamba, expressed satisfaction with the gesture. He thanked all institutions and individuals who helped in actualising the payments.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200706111037.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Compensation controversy regarding poultry in Nigeria

Nigeria: Community News From Kano, Katsina And Jigawa

Daily Trust (Abuja)

17 June 2007

Posted to the web 18 June 2007

Hassan A. Karofi


Since last year when the avian Flu virus epidemic broke out in Kano hundreds of farmers lost thousands of their birds, most not because they were all affected, but largely because the officials advised that since some of the flocks became infected it was advisable to rid the entire farms of all the species, and a new stock brought in.

Since then, several farms in the state became prostrate and the businesses of the farm owners equally suffered same fate.


However, what followed thereafter was a selective compensation that is now generating controversies and threatening the lives of poultry consumers in the state.

The fear of spread of avian flu to humans in the state is now at its highest possibility as a result of this crisis between members of the Poultry farmers association and the Kano state government over payment of compensation, according to Pyramid Trust investigations revealed.

According to reports obtained from the association's secretariat, about 40.000 affected birds were denied compensation during the recent settlement exercise, raising threats of possible future refusal of the farmers to report any outbreak.

Chairman of the association, Alhaji Aminu Adamu who confirmed the crisis said government has promised to settle any poultry farmer that reported the avian flu infection to the state, a directive he said his members complied.

He said the task force then visited and killed all affected birds with a promise to settle within four days.

The chairman said they were also asked to re stock after three weeks of the disinfestations of the affected farms; a directive he also said was strictly adhered to.

However, crisis began when only some selected farmers where paid to the tune of N55.4m as compensation when the federal government task force came to Kano, the remaining affected farmers owing over N40m were denied compensation.

He said although the reason as advanced by the Kano state coordinator of the avian flu and director veterinary of the state agriculture Ministry Dr Salihu Dadinkowa that refusal to deny compensation was as a result of restocking without prior directive, which he said was false.

The chairman said the refusal of the government to pay compensate can jeopardize the fight against the avian flu threat.

He said the association is already working on a petition to the federal ministry of agriculture over the development; the situation he added could lead to refusal of farmers to cooperate in situations of infections.

Alhaji Aminu also called on the Kano state government to intervene in the case, as according to him the health of the populace can be threaten if farmers are continuously denied compensation.

He said the association has sat severally with officials of the state avian flu committee during the crisis to sort out modalities for intervention and it was agreed that any farmer whose poultry were infected should immediately report.

He said when there was attack in some of the farms they immediately complied with the hope that the veterinary officials will fulfill there won bargain.

The chairman added that they invited the avian flu committee to all the affected farms where the farmers provided most of the necessary provisions for the killing and burying of the killed birds, after they were promised to be paid within the next two days.

'But we do not know what happened when during payments, some of our members were not included in the compensation' he said

The chairman said it was later that the committee told them that they cannot pay for the compensations because the farmers did not wait for directives from the committee for re-stocking.

But the chairman said that since the outbreak in 2005 and 2006, there was no official that has told them not to re stock until they write for permission, adding that they were all asked to re stock within three weeks, which most of the farmers did.

Investigations at the state veterinary department of the ministry of agriculture reveal that during the crisis, the farmers were really not told what to do by any of the officials in the state.

However, an official who claimed anonymity said both the government officials and the farmers association were wrong, according to him, it is true that there was no any documented letter to the farmers over how to re stock and when, but he also said that the farmers were aware that they need to write to the department informing then for their plans to re stock, something he said they did not do.

While acknowledging that inability of the farmers to officially write for re stocking should not form the basis for being denied compensation, the official said it is necessary for the state government to seat and discuss with the farmers so as to save their businesses as well as protect the lives of the people.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200706181235.html