It is an established fact that meat easily conveys disease-carrying agents. It therefore becomes a major occasion that meat processed under unhygienic conditions can be responsible for the spread of certain diseases. Apart from this, unhealthy cows are often slaughtered in abattoirs and sold to unsuspecting members of the public, thereby spreading some of the diseases being suffered by many. This of course was one of the reasons the immediate past administration in Ondo State put in place some measures to eradicate diseases associated with the consumption of unhealthily processed meat by establishing a modern and semi-mechanised abattoir, which remains the best since the creation of the state in 1976.
Many, however, believed that the creation and establishment of the modern abattoir inaugurated at the twilight tenure of former governor Olusegun Mimiko in February 2017 would move the state away from the traditional method of slaughtering cows and processing meat. Clearly they were wrong after all as the facilities put in place nearly two years ago have not been put into use in any way.
The N528 million semi-mechanised facility situated at Sango area along Akure / Ado Ekiti road in Akure North Local Government Area of the state with the capacity to process about 200 cattle in four hours was under lock and key when Nigerian Tribune visited the facility, while butchers were seen transacting their businesses outside the area.
Speaking during the inauguration of the modern abattoir last year, Mimiko said the establishment of the semi-mechanised facility would help the state to conquer the menace of supply of unwholesome meat processed in unhygienic environments, noting that many cattle were being slaughtered and processed for human consumption from about 70 unhygienic local slaughter slabs scattered around the state.
Describing the facility as world class, he said the project gulped about N528 million, explaining that it was done in such a way that the traditional butchers would be involved in its operation so that they would not be thrown out of their jobs.
Giving an insight into facilities in the abattoir and how the project was executed, Mimiko said it was divided into four lots, explaining that Lot 1involved the construction of a slaughter hall, lairage, office complex, public toilet, bone yard, manure dump, incinerator, underground water reservoir, fence, gate-house, generator house and supply/installation of abattoir equipment and laboratory equipment/reagents.
“This abattoir complex was designed with all necessary ancillary facilities to ensure steady and sustainable provision of wholesome meat to Akure and environs as a first step. This is to be replicated in other major towns and villages of the state in due course.
“The abattoir facility with capacity to process 200 cattle in four hours will be ceded to a concessionaire under an agreed memorandum of understanding (MOU) to ensure consistent profitability and sustainability.”
Therefore, one would have assumed that activities would have commenced almost immediately after the project was inaugurated by the Mimiko administration. But as things stand, it is obvious that the facility has been abandoned and left unused after its inauguration in February, 2017.
A source who spoke with Nigerian Tribune explained that the project was handed over to the present administration while contractors to run the facilities were interviewed. According to him, one of the contractors issued tickets at the abattoir for about three or four months before the company and its officials disappeared.
He disclosed that the company disappeared into thin air just as its workers also left the abattoir. “Though they never for a day operated the equipment inside the facility, they were always here to issue tickets on every cow slaughtered.”
An official of the company, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said they reported to the abattoir on daily basis but the contractor who employed them had been elusive and had not been paid for about six months.
He explained that the company took over the abattoir and test run the facilities but never operated it for a day. He suspects that the contractor, who is the managing director, had failed to keep to the agreement and therefore slowed down activities at the abattoir.
He disclosed that they have called the managing director times without number but said “the man has not been picking our calls and we have been reporting here daily without being paid any salary.”
All attempts to speak with the security guard at the abattoir were not successful as he directed our correspondent to the contractor managing the facility. He therefore prevented Nigerian Tribune from gaining access to assess the compound and the facilities.
Butchers and cow sellers however frowned at the development. One of the butchers, Kabiru Kataf, who spoke to our reporter, described the establishment of the abattoir as a waste of public fund.
According to him, “I don’t know why government will spend huge sums of money on a project like this and will not put it to use. They told us during the inauguration that it will make our work easier but nothing has been done in the last two years.”
He said the presence of the modern facility has not changed their old way of carrying out their businesses, saying “cows are being slaughtered and the processed meat is exposed to a lot of hazards not meant for people’s health.
“We have never seen how these machines work; they told us while inaugurating the place that one of the machines slaughters, skins and debones an animal. Why abandon a project that cost over half a billion naira? But we are still using our manual method here. I think government is continuum, and this kind of project should not be allowed to just rot away.
“We slaughter over 100 cattle daily, and they said the machine can kill and process 200 cows in four hours. Why not put the place in use to ease our burden. It takes us several hours to slaughter and prepare these animals.”
Also speaking, another butcher, Ibrahim Adeoye, disclosed that the leadership of the cow sellers and butchers had tried to meet with the government over the continued closure of the place but said it yielded no result.
He, however, called on the state government to open the place for business saying a lot of money would have been paid into the coffers of the state government if the facility had been operational. “The structures are beginning to look old because they have not been used. The equipment in the abattoir may need servicing since they have not been operated for almost two years.
“The place has been overtaken by weed. But some herders have been grazing their cattle place here. This abattoir should not be left to rot away. It should be a source of revenue for government. The project should not be abandoned. If the place is opened, many of our youths would be employed and this will surely reduce the rate of crime; an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We have so many of our youths who will be ready to work here,” he added.
A veterinary doctor, who simply identified himself asJohn, said the modern abattoir if put into use will not only add to the economic development of the state but diseases associated with filthy meat will surely be a thing of the past. He said the abattoir is well equipped with latest machinery and facilities but wondered why the government has decided to abandon it.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Ondo State governor, Segun Ajiboye said the state government has not abandoned the multimillion naira facility but laid the blame at the doorstep of the contractor managing the abattoir.
According to Ajiboye, the abattoir was given to a contractor after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure that the place was being run efficiently. He said the company failed to fulfil some aspects of the agreement. Ajiboye said the MoU had been withdrawn while new contractors were interviewed last month. He assured that the facility would commence operation by December, immediately after the signing of a new agreement with the contractor who will manage the place.
He expressed concerns over the continued closure of the abattoir saying government had injected a lot of money into the project not only to generate revenue but also to ensure that meat is processed under hygienic conditions.
“The semi-mechanised abattoir facility is of international standard and will correct the present appalling situation of meat delivery. It will ensure that animals are slaughtered and processed under hygienic conditions thus reducing the incidence of meat contamination at processing stage and consequently reduce incidence of meat-borne diseases in the state,” Ajiboye said.
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