18th April, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Lagos State Government has begun the removal of shanties at Oko Oba abattoir to ensure a healthy and hygienic abattoir condition in the state.
In line with this, the state government has earlier held an interactive session with the butchers and other stakeholders of the abattoir to discuss the modalities of the proposed upgrading and rehabilitation of the market.
Speaking during the demolition, Commissioner for Agriculture, Oluwatoyin Suarau stated the commitment of the government to give the abattoir a befitting status a mega city market deserves, urging the stakeholders to give maximum support to the government to enhance a successful implementation of the project.
He stated that the government would not relent in its effort to improve the hygienic condition of the market and would not hurt anyone.
“The Lagos State Government is not planning to chase away anybody from the state, as being rumoured by some butchers and cow merchants, I want us all to see this administrations initiatives as a way of sanitizing and ensuring hygiene in the Red Meat Value Chain, we should not see this project as a government instrument to disrupt the activities of the market’,” he said.
Suarau disclosed that the completion of the project would be at the advantage of the abattoir operators and Lagosians at large as the proposed project would usher in a mega city equipped abattoir with a stand-by clinic within the complex which could take care of the health of workers and other emergencies in the abattoir and also a mini market which will cater for some basic needs.
He further reiterated that the demolition was in collaboration with the Lagos State Task Force Team, adding that the present administration was committed to its all-inclusive system of government as an instrument to gaining all the dividend of democracy.
He, therefore, urged the stakeholders to be in full support of the project as their input in pointing out miscreants and illegal inhabitant of the abattoir was required in restoring sanity to the entire market.
The Permanent Secretary, Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya who was also present at the event spoke extensively on the significance of the upgrading of the market and stressed the need for the government to monitor and ensure a safe red meat market that will conform to the mega city status.
He said that every section of the market should vacate their belongings as the construction would not be done in batches but at once.
“The government will not remove the shanties in batches as this will make the government spend more,” he said.
Olayiwole, however, restated the commitment of the administration towards the attainment of food security with partnership of every citizen of the state.