Bird Flu Hits Obasanjo’s Otta Farm

Residents of neighboring communities to Otta
Farms in Ogun state have raised the alarm over
the threat posed to their health by the outbreak
of Bird Flu on the farm, which hosts a poultry
unit in ad
dition to other ventures. The scourge
which is rapidly growing is believed to have
emanated from the farm owned by former
President  Olusegun Obasanjo. Residents of
neighboring communities to Otta Farms in Ogun
state have already raised the alarm over the
threat posed to their health by the outbreak of
Bird Flu on the farm, which hosts a poultry unit
in addition to other ventures.
The outbreak of bird flu disease has been
authoritatively confirmed to have hit the
poultry unit of the farm owned by the former
President. The deadly virus, which the
communities said poses threat to them because
of proximity, is raising serious cause for alarm
as they revealed that every effort made to draw
the attention of the Federal Ministry of Health
to the issued have fallen on deaf ears.
A resident of one of the communities, who does
not want to be identified because he fears a
reprisal from the owner of the farm said “We
are worried. We do not even allow our children
to play outside anymore because no one knows
what can happen.”
“Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health has not
bothered to come here to verify, neither has the
Agric Ministry. This is why Otta Farms has not
bothered to act by doing what is required,
which is to destroy the sick birds.” The source
said.
Already farm owners in the vicinity and
environs of Otta have begun to record
casualties in their poultry. The poultry farmers
who have called on the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture to look into and take decisive steps
to quarantine the source farm have also
appealed for financial assistance from the
Federal government to help rescue their farms.
” We are not surprised that this is happening;
our only problem is that we know the origin of
this disease, which is the Obasanjo farm whose
birds have been known to have contracted the
disease long ago. What we only wish is that the
Federal government will quarantines the farm
to save our small farms. We also wish to use this
medium to appeal to the government to assist
us with funds to save our farms”. A local
poultry farmer lamented.
The strain on virus currently on the loose in
Nigeria has not been proven to cross to human
but residents said it is a risk they are not willing
to take.