The proposed legislation banning the consumption of cow skin, locally known as ponmo, by the Federal Government of Nigeria in order to revive the leather industry and boost the economy has continued to generate reactions on social media.
The Federal Government through the Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) Zaria, Professor Muhammad Yakubu, on Sunday said that the legislation to ban ponmo was necessary to revive the comatose leather industry in the country.
According to him, the habit of eating cow skin, which has no nutritional value, should be stopped in order to save the leather industry and boost the nation’s economy.
He stressed that the consumption of cow skin is partially responsible for the present comatose state of tanneries in Nigeria. “If we get our tanneries, our footwear and leather production working well in Nigeria, people will hardly get ponmo to buy and eat.”
While speaking on previous efforts made to ensure the ban, he said “At one point, there was a motion before the two chambers of the National Assembly, it was debated, but I don’t know how the matter was thrown away.”
He added that the institute, in collaboration with stakeholders in the industry, would approach the National Assembly and state governments to bring out legislation banning ponmo consumption in the country.
However, the proposed ban on ponmo seems not to have gone down well with some Nigerians who took to Twitter to react and berate the government over the development.
According to them, banning ponmo is a misplaced priority and should be the last thing to bother the government for now as the country is currently facing many challenges that need urgent attention. They wonder what an average Nigerian who can’t afford to buy other delicacies due to the economic situation of the country will be surviving on if the ban is enforced.
Reacting to the proposed ban on Facebook, Reno Omokri, a former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan said ponmo is one of the few things that make the poor people happy, and rather than banning it, the government should channel such energy into luxurious wastes such as cigars and imported alcoholic beverages.
“The only delicacy many Nigerians can afford in this harsh Buhari economy is ponmo. Now, Buhari wants to ban it? He has not banned champagne that the rich import from France and drains our foreign reserves. It is one of the few that makes the poor happy his government wants to ban? Poor Nigerians do not eat ponmo for its nutritional value. They eat it because it is a delicacy that makes them happy. By banning it, Buhari is banning the happiness of many people. If you want to improve the economy, then ban luxurious wastes like imported alcoholic beverages and cigars!”
Also reacting, a former Big Brother Naija housemate, Jaypaul, wondered why the government is bothered about ponmo despite the fact that public universities students have been home for more than seven months due to the prolonged strike by ASUU.
“ASUU dey on strike for months now, na Ponmo be the problem,” he tweeted.
Another Twitter user, @temijaiy tweeted “Very dramatic government. Of all the issues we face in the country, banning ponmo is what our clueless government is considering.”
Another user, @benigbakpa believes ponmo is not responsible for the collapse of the leather industry, hence there is no justification for placing a ban on it.
“The consumption of cowhide (ponmo) is not responsible for the collapse of the leather industry and likewise banning the consumption will not revitalize the industry automatically. The demand and export of our finished leather goods suffered from a lack of industries.”
“Ponmo wey people dey take manage as chicken, beef and turkey dey too expensive. Grow the economy indeed.” @zadde_yo tweeted.
@mbahdeyforyou said, “Out of everything going on in the country na ponmo be federal government problem.”