BY Precious Adi
The Lagos State Government said it has concluded its plans to float an insurance scheme and also introduce mandatory uniform for butchers in the state.
This scheme is expected to cover all the accredited abattoirs and meat markets around Lagos state and it is part of an ongoing comprehensive reform of meat processing and distribution in the state.
This measure, being carried out by the state government is part of an effort to modernize and sanitise the Lagos Abattoir to be in line with what is obtainable in other countries, like Kenya and Botswana that operate highly hygienic and modern abattoirs spanning decades.
Prince Gbolahan Lawal, The Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, at a meeting with stakeholders, said that the government was repositioning the abattoir to the next level as all forms of unwholesome meat supply to the consumers would be removed.
He said that in other to ensure proper hygiene for the abattoir, all butchers who would operate at the various slaughter slabs within the abattoir would put on white uniform, while the slaughter slabs would be restricted to only accredited butchers.
According to him, “There is no way 21 million Lagosians will be allowed to consume unwholesome meat again. We are trying to benchmark our food chain with what is obtainable in Kenya and Botswana
“Kenya Meat Commission was set up in 1958 while that of Botswana was set up 10 years after that of Kenya. Our own abattoir was set up just in 1992 and it only work for two years. It is a challenge and we will face it and we are ready to sanitise the system.
”We want to ensure that the productivity of our butchers and meat merchants is highly enhanced. Some States are moving fast and we have to move faster than them. Our train has left the station and we are not going back to unwholesome consumption of meat in Lagos State.”
