By danivert

Copyright thesun

From Abel Leonard, Lafia

The Nasarawa State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has expressed concern over the poor sanitary condition of the Akwanga abattoir, warning that the facility may be shut down if urgent steps are not taken to address the situation.

The Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Margaret Elayo, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Husseini Usman Babayaye, raised the alarm during the monthly sanitation exercise in Akwanga.

He lamented that the abattoir, which supplies meat to residents of the area, was in a deplorable state, posing a health risk to the people.

“Generally, today we decided that at the end of this month, our sanitation will take place in two places, one in Lafia and the other one here in Akwanga. But the issue is that the sanitation here is very discouraging,” Babayaye said.

“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 is supposed to do something immediately to ensure the safety of our citizens in Akwanga. That place is not proper for slaughtering animals. If nothing changes between now and next month, I assure you that the abattoir will be shut down,” he added.

The Permanent Secretary also noted the absence of enforcement and compliance by local authorities, stressing that both the state and local governments must intervene to safeguard public health.

On climate-related challenges, Babayaye explained that the ministry was already gathering data across local government areas to address flooding and other environmental threats linked to climate change.

“Flooding is a natural disaster and climate change is a global issue affecting humans, animals, and plants. Our ministry has sent technical staff to various LGAs to collect data, and very soon, the Honourable Commissioner will address the findings for the safety of our citizens,” he said.

Responding, the Deputy Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area, Hon. Basau Ibrahim Shaibu, admitted that while sanitation compliance was stronger in the past, the council had shifted focus to rural communities due to rising health concerns in villages.

“In the past, there was serious compliance in town, but the Chairman instructed us to also pay attention to villages where our health department reported serious health concerns. There are reports of cholera and related diseases in some northern states that share boundaries with us, so we had to move our team early to the villages before returning to town,” Shaibu explained.

On the state of the abattoir, Shaibu noted that although the facility falls under the purview of the local government, the state government had already begun constructing a modern abattoir on the outskirts of Akwanga.

“By constitution, the abattoir is the sole responsibility of the local government. However, the state government has taken steps by providing land, compensating owners, and awarding contracts for the relocation of the abattoir. For now, our role is to maintain hygiene at the current site while work continues at the permanent site,” he stated.

Shaibu added that while he could not give a definite timeframe for the completion of the new abattoir, the Federal Ministry of Health and relevant state ministries were involved in supervising the project.

“It’s a very big modern abattoir. The contractor will determine the timeframe, but we are keeping our eyes on the project. For now, maintaining hygiene at the temporary site is a precautionary measure we must take,” he said.