Abuja - Nigeria lost no fewer than 1.3 million birds in its efforts to control and contain the spread of avian influenza, a top cabinet official said Friday in Abuja. Abba Ruma, minister of agriculture and water resources, disclosed this at a presentation of equipment to Nigeria by China for the control and prevention of the disease worth more than 573,000 dollars.
Ruma said the Nigerian government had paid 4.5 million dollars as compensation to 2,610 poultry farmers, whose birds were culled.
"My ministry is now processing new compensation requests amounting to about 516,000 dollars for 123 farmers," he said.
According to him, combating the disease is "an act of both national and international public good" and that Nigeria was committed to ensuring that the infection was contained and stamped out as soon as possible.
The equipment consists of biological safety cabinets, ultra-low temperature freezers, an incinerator, disinfectants and disinfecting equipment.
