Professor Urges Farmers to Curb Antimicrobial Misuse to Fight Growing Resistance Threat
A renowned Professor of Veterinary Microbiology at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof Ndubueze Amaechi, has called for urgent action to reduce the misuse of antimicrobials in livestock farming, warning that the rising trend poses a severe threat to public health.
Delivering the institution’s 59th Inaugural Lecture titled “The Unending War Between Microbes and Antimicrobials: Perspectives of a Veterinary Microbiologist”, Prof Amaechi emphasized the need to limit non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry.
The lecture, held at the Senator Anyim Pius Anyim Auditorium, focused on the escalating global threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which the professor described as a “silent pandemic.”
He warned that indiscriminate and unsupervised use of antimicrobials by farmers is a key driver of antibiotic resistance. “Farmers must stop self-medicating their animals and should instead consult licensed veterinarians who can conduct proper tests to prescribe the right drugs,” he stated.
Prof Amaechi advocated for increased farmer education on the correct use of antimicrobials and emphasized the importance of farm-level biosecurity to prevent the spread of infections. “Access to farms by outsiders should be restricted, as they could introduce resistant bacteria,” he added.
In an interview shortly after the Inaugural Lecture, the Professor highlighted the high prevalence of resistant bacteria in Nigerian livestock and food products, warning that AMR in Nigeria has reached alarming levels. “The high levels of antimicrobial residues in meat and the low resistance found in wildlife suggest that misuse in agriculture and veterinary practice is the main culprit,” he explained.
He stressed that Nigeria, as the most populous nation in West Africa, must lead the fight against AMR through a coordinated national policy grounded in the ‘One Health’ approach, a strategy that links human, animal, and environmental health.
The varsity Don highlighted some key recommendations such as the development of a national AMR policy, strengthening antimicrobial stewardship programs, expanding infection prevention strategies, such as vaccination, boosting research and development capacity and as well, upgrading facilities like MOUAU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital to a standard of a Sentinel Laboratory.
He added that enhancing vaccine production capacity in the country, promoting public awareness and continuing education for health professionals, would go a long way.
Prof Amaechi, however, called for greater collaboration among researchers, clinicians and policymakers to tackle AMR, especially biofilm-induced resistance, which makes infections harder to treat. “Antibiotic usage should be closely monitored, and strict surveillance enforced. The time to act is now,” he concluded.
The lecture drew academics, veterinarians, government functionaries, students, members of the press among others, agreeing that there is an urgent need for collective action to safeguard the future of antibiotics and protect public health.
