Across states in Nigeria, abattoirs are synonymous with dirt while meat processed under these unhygienic conditions, according to medical personnel, is mostly responsible for many of the diseases being suffered by many.
Health, they say, is wealth, and as part of efforts to eradicate or reduce diseases associated with the consumption of unhealthily processed meat, the Ondo State government under the administration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, changed the face of the main abattoir in the capital city of the state, Akure, by putting in place a modern and semi-mechanised abattoir, which remains the best since the creation of the state in 1976.
Although previous governments in the state tried to move away from the traditional method of meat slaughtering but their dreams were thwarted by the paucity of fund but many of the state residents who visited the newly commissioned abattoir linked the delay to lack of vision and political will to develop the state on the part of past administrations in the state.
But Mimiko in his resolve to curb the menace of supply of unwholesome meat processed in unhygienic environments to the unsuspecting public embarked on the construction of the ultramodern semi-mechanised abattoir, which has the capacity to process about 200 cattle in four hours. The facility situated at Sango area in Akure North Local Government Area of the state was inaugurated last recently, and witnessed by various stakeholders.
Speaking during the inauguration of the abattoir, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Alex Aragbaye, described the project as a dream come true after about 33 years of its conception. He said the project was first conceived in 1983 with the acquisition of an 18-hectare of land for both the abattoir and the cattle market but never saw the light of the day until Mimiko came on board in 2009 when the project was revisited.
He recalled that the cattle market took off in 1985 while the abattoir project could not take off due to paucity of fund at that time. Aragbaye said the contract for the project was awarded in 2002 but within a short period was abandoned by the contractors handling the project, attributing this to incompetence of the contractors in charge of the project.
This led to the termination of the contract and it was abandoned until the present administration in the state revisited the project. But prior to this period, Aragbaye said the entire land mass was overtaken by bush following which there was massive encroachment by land speculators and illegal landlords until Mimiko re-awarded the contract to SCNC Technologies Nig Ltd in 2011.
Speaking on the new facility, Aragbaye said, “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.”
The inauguration of the facility was witnessed by many dignitaries including the Minister for Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who was represented by the Director of the ministry, Mrs Funke omogbemi; leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasonranti, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, members of the state executive council and members of the State House of Assembly, the Akure community and traditional institution, led by the Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, among others.
Apart from these dignitaries, professionals in the veterinary practice were not left out during the unveiling of the new slaughter house. The president of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria and Provost, Federal College of Animal Production and Health, Vom, Jos, Prof. Garuba Sharubutu led the pack.
In his goodwill message, Ogbeh said the facility was not only one of the best in the country but described it as a world standard, saying the construction of the semi-mechanised abattoir put in place by Mimiko’s government was in line with the vision of the Federal Government Agriculture Development, just as he called on other states to emulate the Ondo State initiative.
“I want to commend the resolve of the government to build an abattoir of the World Health Organization (WHO) standard and challenge other state governments to consider emulating this great state. This infrastructure will no doubt hold the key to the provision of hygienically processed meat which will enhance good and healthy eating habits, job opportunities for those who will be directly involved as well as other markets which its presence will attract and develop,” Ogbeh stated.
He expressed optimism that the new abattoir will open doors for the economic development of the state while the facility signifies a departure from the unhygienic conditions associated with filthy abattoirs.
The guest speaker and president, Veterinary Council of Nigeria, Prof. Garuba Sharubutu, said the present government in the state has set a standard and benchmark for succeeding governments in the state, saying the initiative was worthy of emulation.
The veterinary council president said with the facility put in place in the abattoir, it ranked the state abattoir among the best in the country saying it has removed the state from those states with high incidence of predisposition factors for infections.
The governor, in his address, said the state has been able to conquer the menace of supply of unwholesome meat processed in unhygienic environments, noting that many cattle are being slaughtered and processed for human consumption from about 70 unhygienic local slaughter slabs scattered around the state
The governor, who described the facility as world class standard, 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 jobs.
Giving an insight into facilities in the abattoir and how the project was executed, Mimiko said it was divided into four lots.
The Lot 1, he said, involved 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.
He said, “LOT II involves supply of effluent waste disposing truck and meat delivery van with chilling equipment. LOT III: electricity supply to the abattoir facilities with 500KVA dedicated transformer and a 60KVA soundproof generator while Lot IV involves drilling of boreholes and construction of overhead tanks for water supply.
“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.” The governor said the abattoir was built to ensure that the meat from the facility is fit for consumption by all human beings including Muslims.”
The president of the Nigeria Butchers Association, Ondo State branch, Mr Asimiyu Tella, described Mimiko’s government’s initiative as an unequal in the annals of development in the state, saying the project would liberate butchers from the traditional and laborious way of doing their jobs and assured that members of his association would cooperate to ensure smooth running of the abattoir in various ways.
The traditional ruler of Akure kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, described the abattoir as another initiative to turn Akure to a modern capital city saying various urban renewal and developmental projects had been executed by the present administration in Akure and its environs.
There is, however, no doubt that with the well equipped facilities and latest machinery, put in place by the government, to serve retailers, distributors and food vendors, in healthy and safe environments. The newly inaugurated Ondo abattoir 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.