The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal Ministry of Health to, as a matter of urgency, procure sufficient quantity of anti-snakes venom and supply to the treatment centres in snakes belt states of Borno, Gombe, Taraba, Adamawa and Plateau.

The decision by the Senate followed a Motion on the alarming rates of deaths of victims of snake bites, due to scarcity of anti snake venom, sponsored by Senator Joshua Lidani representing Gombe North at the Red Chambers.

The lawmaker raised alarm that the Federal Ministry of Health, which used to supply anti-venom to the snakes bite treatment centres in the North stopped doing so since 2016.

The Senate consequently mandated its committee on health to investigate the failure of the ministry of health to supply anti snake venom to the treatment centres and urged the ministry to quickly initiate steps towards the establishment of local production of the anti-snake venom.

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo had approved the establishment of the factory for production of anti snake venom in Gombe State but nothing has been done in furtherance of that approval as all anti snake venom are imported into the country ?.

Deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over Thursday’s plenary in his concluding remarks on the motion stated that government ought to invest in protection of lives and properties of citizens and hence must spend a lot of money towards eradicating poisonous snakes from the snake belt states.