By Mike Adeyemi
Irepodun United Butchers Association of Nigeria, Kwara State chapter has called on the Kwara State Government to build a centralized abattoir for butchers in the state as a means of curtailing the incidence of hazardous meat in the market.
The state scribe of the union, Alh. Oba Elegede stated on Saturday while answering questions from our reporter in his office.
According to him, ‘the reported cases of selling unsatisfied meat in the recent time has posted a big challenge to butchering business, as this act can be nab with a centralized abattoir.’
“It is true that two of our members were nabbed in Patigi local government area of Kwara state recently, allegedly selling contaminated meat. They were arrested and detained.
“We were called at the police station, but we made it known emphatically to the security agents that it is only a Vetenary Doctor that can confirm and ascertain an adotrated meat as we had a stringent law in place that forbids selling contaminated meat in state,” he said.
Elegede added that the law governing butchering business in Kwara did not allow for misdeeds as all meat in Kwara market are on daily basis satisfied by Vetinary Doctors before consumption.
“We are not in any way exonerating the culprit, but they remain guilty until a vet Doctor proved otherwise. It is not the duty of of police to determine a contaminated meat, but a vet Doctor.
“As a way of averting such a reported ugly scenario alongside having an hygienic abattoir in the state, we have written series of letters to the government on the need to provide a centralized abattoir in each local government, all to no avail.
“If government could built a centralized abattoir in the state, it would not only forestall the incidence of intruders who disguised under our union engaging in selling unsatisfied meat, but it is a good source of revenue to government coffer.
“It is achievable as government would make more money from it if each of the 16 local government of the state could have its centralized abattoir, ” Elegede affirmed.
He further added that despite Kwara state butchers association is one of great employers of labour in the state, alongside paying taxes to the government purse, all the union’s plea before government to improve the environment to which we trade hasn’t been answered.
“As of today, Kwara butchers is one of the greater employers of labour. We don’t produce contaminated meat in Kwara. We have our team of Vet Doctors and each time they discovered a tuberculosis effected cow, we buried it. That is the law. We don’t sell naturally dead cow.
“We have written Kwara state government on the importance of having a centralized abattoir, but no respond. Other states like Lagos, Ogun and Osun are operating a centralized abbattor, ” the butcher scribe stressed.
