VETERINARY MEDICINE:THE LINK TO GUARANTEE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRIVATE PRACTICE IN VETERINARY PROFESSION IN NIGERIA

The main title of this article is simple for easy understanding to any person at the level we are discussing. However the question might then be asked how is the link going to be made. A particular lecturer tried to answer the question thus: his role well defined economy builder he knows  but his fate not quite clear. Through bright hopes, he is respected by patriots but to the ignorant his time wastes. He pointed out that the veterinarians role is well defined and the future he thinks is bright but the ultimate question still remain, how do we get to this level of minimum comfort as a veterinary practitioner? This now brings me to my own business of the day: opportunities for private vets in veterinary profession in Nigeria.
The Chronicles: The students know that there is guarantee future for veterinarians in various areas which veterinary knowledge could be used namely:-In the Ministry, Research Institutes/Universities, Marketing as in being employed by drug, feed or hatchery companies to market their goods/products. But they are praying to know about the opportunities available to the independent (private)  individual veterinarian in Nigeria. May be their quest is informed by the saying, that dependability is a virtue, but unlike most virtues, it does not parade itself.  Thus it is fate that will determine whether or not you will be in private practice, not only being there but achieving the desired goal. Today in Nigeria, mention should be made of some of the first and foremost private practitioners. The already existing private veterinary practioners are divided into 3 groups namely:-
(1)THE ADVENTURERS: These people are so called because they on their own opted for private practice. They are made up of some of the very first people that started private practice in Nigeria. These people mainly concentrated on pet clinic e.g. Dr. Adegbite of Island Vet Clinic, Zee Vet Clinic, Airport Vet Clinic, Yam Vet Clinic and surgery: all located in Lagos.
(2) THE VISSIONERIES: These people are so classified because of their ability in looking ahead of the time. Most of them I admit are astute business men: no wonder why they succeeded in their bid. Again almost all of them at one time or the other had a stint with either the public or private service as workers. Some of them are Dr. Agbato-the president Animal Care Service Konsult Nig. Ltd. Dr Funso of Novat Veterinary Services Kano. Dr. Adebiyi of Jofa Veterinary Service Ltd. Akura. Dr. Chidi Ogboso of Harmony Projects Ltd. Lagos, Also Dr. Uwaeme of Bomag Veterinary Service Aba.
(3) MODERN DAY PRACTITIONERS: These group of people were driven into private practice by various reasons, paramount on the list is unemployment. In cases where the employment is available, the salary is very meager. Others were fed up with stories from civil service and big farms; thus they decided to take the bull by the horn. They took their destiny in their hand. They were afraid, yet courageous. Courage is not lack of fear, it is standing your ground in spite of the circumstance. In this category we start discussing people like Dr. Onyenso of Animal Kingdom Veterinary Clinic Akure. He was later appointed a commissioner in charge of Ministry of Agriculture in the old Ondo State. Looking at the structure and distribution of this private enterprise at this level one can hypothetically state that, private practice is concentrated in the western part of the country. Perhaps student of Biostatistics will even prove that the null hypothesis is correct. Another school of thought said that most people that go into private practice are graduates of University of Ibadan; who according to them has veterinary economics added into their programmes; no person has been able to prove this. However when the economic realities dawned on newly graduate veterinary surgeons the consequences of unemployment and underemployment forced many veterinarians to go into private practice even in the Eastern part of the country. Some of the people caught in this web are Dr. N. G. Ofor of Gofons Veterinary Services Owerri. Dr. Udechukwu of Green Cross Veterinary Services Ichi Nnewi. Dr. Nwabunike of CENA Vet. Servics Awka, Dr. Festus Ajibo fo First Tropical Veterinary Services Enugu, Dr. Nweze of Onyinyechukwu Agvet Nsukka and COSIN VET Services Ltd. Enugu. Etc. By 1994, the economic difficulty has become so acute, there was total embargo on employment at least at the ministry level. This brought about an upsurge in private practice, so, many veterinarians were just satisfied staying at their homes and maintaining their clients without necessarily having office. This is the journey so far. Whether all private practitioners are doing so according to the dictate of the Hippocratic oath which they swore; simply to save the life of animals will still be seen. It is vital for me to do this introduction because there is a saying that an inquirer must know about the past to help him keep abreast of the present and enable him project into the future.
The Opportunities Proper
Yes a qualified veterinarian has too many opportunities to practice on his own.
By this I mean you must be qualified in the real meaning of it. You should seek to study well by trying to attend at least 95% of all your lectures and practicals, then be responsible and disciplined to take your exams as students not as bus conductors. To cram your notes and pour it out during exam will be of little help, strive to know and love the course. At the end, every other thing will be added unto you. There is no need to combine business with your studies. Take your field trainings seriously and meticulously. You will have time more than enough to do business. The option is yours.
1. Opening a private veterinary Clinic: The first option in private practice most times is opening a private veterinary clinic. In fact, the first group of practitioners went into this strictly. Their duty is to mainly treat and take care of sick animals, give them routine inoculation in the clinic and run occasional ambulatory or home services. Some of them are retained by most Security Companies. At present most veterinarians do not solely depend on this. In addition, they have pet shop where clients could buy dog feed, dog collars, nail trimmers, belts and other accessories. They also try their hands on Dog breeding and this is very important. Veterinarians like Dr. Dan Okeke of Zigma Vet Enugu, Dr. Awotunde of Raph Vet P.H are solely into this. Also Dr. Jones Okoye of Techno-Agro project Ltd, Jos combines this with vaccines importation.
2. IMPORTATION: Talking of importation, most veterinarians in private practice especially the big Vets are into importation. What they import range from vaccines through veterinary drugs to livestock feed raw materials such as fishmeal, methionine, lysine etc. Examples are Animal Care Veterinary Services Konsult (Nig.) Ltd; Harmony Project Ltd and recently Blue Bat Company Ltd. The Managing director of the later mentioned is one of those who went into private practice due to unemployment. He import solely vaccines; Today he is a moving force in vaccine importation. The company’s Corporate headquarters is in Kaduna, Nigeria. When you talk of importation, the issue of marketing is involved. Many of them who import are now purely business men, but one good thing is that they usually reach out to their colleagues who are in veterinary practice.
3. FREE LANCING: Talking of practice, there is another group of practitioners called free lancers. They become self employed and hired to work for different companies on particular veterinary assignments. These people practice from their houses; thus when the big importers import, they reach out to these people to enable them get their products circulated to the appropriate quarters. Those who freelance are mostly veterinary graduates from the university or National Youth Service. They will gradually acquire an office and develop it into a full vet clinic or veterinary services.
4. VETERINARY SERVICES: Another popular opportunity is the establishment of veterinary service. This is very popular in that it includes comprehensively the actual practice of merchandizing. Now in this part of the country, opening of purely pet clinic might not give you minimum comfort in terms of basic necessities of life. When you try to increase the charge of your service, the clients might run away or go to government established veterinary clinics. Thus, to survive, you maintain an acceptable charge within the locality, then augment your income with other things like marketing of vet drugs (powders), day old chicks, livestock feeds, and raw materials. At times you can market poultry products like eggs or you can even open a cold room.
5. COLD ROOM: Cold rooms business is where veterinary doctors in private practice are still lagging. Though many people will see it as being capital intensive due to incessant or interrupted power supply in some parts of the country yet one can try his hand in this area. Cold room business is better established in areas where the middle class income, educated groups of people are living. Most of them will like to buy their meat, fresh eggs, pasteurized milk, frozen and fresh fish from veterinarians in this kind of business. As the veterinarians are doing this to ensure steady supplies, they might go into production.
6. PRODUCTION: Livestock production perhaps, still stands out as the best form of private practice for a veterinarian in a developing country like Nigeria. Though capital intensive but nevertheless very rewarding. When you are into livestock production, you are carrying along with you a generation. Under very good management, the establishment will outlive you and could be a very big source of relief to your family when the unexpected but unavoidable happens. Thus I encourage you and myself, let us rise and embrace livestock production for by so doing, we would have lived up to our bid of becoming – ECONOMY BUILDER; WHO LOOK FORWARD TO A BRIGHT FUTURE, WHO MUST BE RESPECTED BY PATRIOTS, WHO HAS NOT WASTED HIS TIME WHOSE PRICE IS ULTIMATELY FORTUNE. It is only then that we can say”AU_RAVOIR” for truly golden age of veterinary medicine is here with us. The only thing we can now see is FORTUNE.
ADVICE: THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT- Yes very good; the price of hard work, forthrightness, diligence, patience and vision. It then means that for us to succeed in practice, we should endeavour to be DISCIPLINED, HARDWORKING, WISE, HONEST, HUMBLE AND ENTHUSIASTIC. Humility is the mother of all virtues and is a gift from God. When you are honest, humble and hardworking, you can win the heart of most stubborn clients. Again, you should learn how to live at each time according to your income, try to save money. Depending on the kind of  business, it is possible to make a million naira a day and squander two million naira the same day. Try to build your character in this profession from the University. If you are reckless or born to cheat, it will be difficult for you to succeed all the time.