Nasarawa Govt to Sanction Abattoirs Operating Under Poor Sanitary Conditions

By David Odama

The Nasarawa State Government has warned abattoir operators across the state against running their facilities in filthy environments, threatening to shut down such places in the interest of public health.

The warning was issued on Saturday in Akwanga during the monthly sanitation exercise.

Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Margret Elayo, said that moving forward, abattoirs lacking necessary facilities would be closed unless sanitation standards were improved within the next month.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Hussaini Babayayi, the Commissioner stressed that unhygienic practices at poorly managed abattoirs would no longer be tolerated in the state.

She explained that the ministry’s team inspected the facility during the exercise and discovered its poor sanitary condition. According to her, strict adherence to sanitation laws is non-negotiable, adding that the ministry would closely monitor the abattoir’s activities until the end of October to ensure compliance.

“Most of our brothers and sisters in Akwanga get their meat from this abattoir, but the place is not hygienic. It poses a health risk to our people. Government will take urgent steps to safeguard citizens because the facility is not suitable for slaughtering animals. If nothing changes between now and next month, I assure you that the abattoir will be shut down,” she stated.

On the September sanitation exercise, Elayo expressed disappointment with the level of compliance among residents of Akwanga and urged greater cooperation to keep the state clean. She noted that several commercial motorcyclists and vehicle operators were going about their normal activities during the exercise and warned that stricter measures would be taken against them in the future.

Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of Akwanga LGA, Basau Ibrahim-Shaibu, lamented the poor compliance of abattoir operators, attributing it partly to the government’s focus on rural communities.

On the state of the facility, Ibrahim-Shaibu revealed that the government had already commenced the construction of a modern abattoir on the outskirts of Akwanga. He assured that urgent measures would be taken to ensure cleanliness and strict adherence to sanitation laws to prevent the spread of diseases.