News Editor
By David Odama
The Nasarawa State Government has warned operators of abattoirs across the state against operating in filthy environment threatening to close down places in the enterest of the citizens.
The government issued the warning Saturday in Akwanga while monitoring this months sanitation exercise in the area, . Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Margret Elayo, noted that henceforth, abattoirs without necessary facilities would be shout down unless sanitation conditions are improved upon within the next month.
The Commissioner represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry,, Hussaini Babayayi, said unhygienic practices pose by the unhealthy abattoirs would not be tolerated in the state.
She said that the team from the ministry had inspected the facility during the monthly sanitation exercise and discovered the poor state of the abattoir.
She emphasised the need for strict adherence to sanitation laws. She said the ministry would closely monitor the abattoir’s activities from now to the end of October to ensure cleanliness and compliance with sanitation guidelines.
“Most of our brothers and sisters staying here in Akwanga are getting their meat from this abattoir, but the place is not hygienic. It affects our people’s health. Government would take urgent steps to ensure the safety of our citizens in Akwanga because the place is not proper for slaughtering animals and if nothing changes between now and next month, I assure you that the abattoir will be shut down,” he added.
On the September sanitation exercise, the commissioner expressed dissatisfaction with the level of compliance by the residents of Akwanga and appealed for more cooperation to keep the state clean.
She said that a lot of commercial motorcycles and vehicles were going about their normal activities during the sanitation exercise and threatened to be hard on them subsequently.
Responding, the Deputy Chairman of Akwanga LGA, Basau Ibrahim-Shaibu, decried the level of non compliance of operators of abattoirs because the government has shifted attention to rural communities.
On the state of the abattoir, the Deputy Chairman said that the state government had already begun constructing a modern abattoir on the outskirts of Akwanga.
He, however, promised that the government would take urgent action to ensure that the abattoirs are kept clean and in strict adherence to sanitation laws to guard against the spread of diseases.
