Nigeria: Livestock expert urges Cross River to revamp abandoned 72,000-egg capacity hatchery

A livestock expert, Mr Simon Ogbaji, has called for resuscitation of the abandoned Cross River Hatchery in Itigidi in Abi LGA. Ogbaji, who worked with the Cross River Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture, made the call in an interview on the backdrop of a full-grown chicken being sold for over N10,000 during the yuletide. The consultant said the hatchery, which had been in existence for almost 17 years, was a partnership between the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Government of Cross River State, with NDDC contributing N126m and Cross River investing N250m in the property. The former director of livestock recalled that, initially, the project was to be located in the Eighth Mile area of Calabar but that the area grew and became residential, hence that the government tried relocating it to Akpabuyo, but security was poor, hence the equipment was moved to Itigidi. He said, “Unfortunately, the last administration in the state abandoned the project and ...