30th September, 2019
The Lagos State Government has warned the concessionaires managing the Oko-Oba Abattoir to comply with the agreement reached with Government by ensuring that the facility is managed properly in accordance with a proper hygiene culture.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya who gave the warning on Monday when he went on tour of the abattoir noted that the warning became imperative in order to ensure that Lagosians consumed only wholesome meat from the abattoirs.
“We are very much concerned about the implication of consuming unwholesome meat. We cannot toil with the lives of over 21 million Lagosians and that is why as part of our pro-active measures, the State Government will not condone any act of uncleanliness and lawlessness in meat processing and delivery in the State”, she said.
The Special Adviser explained said that the vision of the Governor is to make Lagos a 21st century economy, adding that attention would therefore be given to all areas of the food supply chain with emphasis on the consumption of wholesome meat by the citizen.
She said that an abattoir should be clean and free of dirt as it is the standard practice in advanced countries, stressing that the state government is now encouraging private investment in the meat value chain with the licensing of more private investors to establish mechanised and semi-mechanised slaughtering and processing facilities in the State.
Olusanya noted that constant monitoring, compliance as well as enforcement will in turn prevent spread of diseases, promote data collection for planning, promote good animal welfare to make Lagos a safe place for all inhabitants by discouraging environmental pollution and health hazard.
She said government has decided to promote and benchmark its reforms against international best practices hence it is committed towards improving the conditions of abattoir, access control, waste management, sanitation and removal of illegal structures.