By Akinwale Kasali
Time was when the Oko Oba Abbatoir was the cynosure of all eyes.
The professionalism and neatness depicted by the Butchers and the distribution Unit of the Abbatoir was applauded by all.
Conveying the neatly packed Meat in an enclosed Van called ‘Eko Meat Van’ to various locations saw the Lagos State Government receiving accolades from Lagosians for the initiative.
Years down the line, the once celebrated initiative has become a shadow of itself.
For a first timer visiting the Oko Oba Abbatoir, what greets the person is an offensive odour oozing from the Canals that passes behind the Abbatoir.
The stench is very strong. It fouls the air. It often even triggers breathing discomforts in people not used to such a sudden and unpleasant odour.
This is as result of the wastes generated from the Abbatoir thrown into the Canal.
The drainage at the entrance of the facility is filthy. It is a major source of the pungent stench disturbing passersby and visitors to the abattoir.
This however poses health threats to Lagosians who inhale this offensive odour.
Aside the Canals, the environment of the Abbatoir is in a pathetic state, as dirt litters the environment with bloods of the butchered Cows stagnated at some potholes in the Abbatoir.
This is however unhygienic to the health of Lagosians who consume the Meats.
The safety of meat processed at Oko-Oba Abattoir, Agege, Lagos, has become a source of concern to beef consumers in the state owing to the unhygienic practices and poor sanitation that characterise meat processing at the facility.
Aside from the dirty drainage, the slaughter slabs where animals are slaughtered are not only dirty but also reek of the foul smell of cow dung as well as that of decomposing animal waste and blood.
The once upgraded processing equipment and units of the Abbatoir have become a shadow of itself.
Assistant Director/Head Veterinary Public Health & Preventive Medicine Division, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau State, Dr. Muhammad-Bashir Bolajoko, said that meat and food animal products processed in abattoirs with poor hygiene practices and unrestricted access to human movement are usually contaminated.
Bolajoko, a veterinary epidemiologist, explained further that in that kind of situation, any kind of disease can occur either from the animals that have been slaughtered or humans moving around and even from the environment. Everyone is exposed to diseases.
“There are diseases from animal to human and human to animal. In this kind of situation, any meat or animal product from such a slaughter that you have observed will definitely be a very good source of diseases for the human population.
“The essence of having an abattoir in the first place is to allow meat inspectors access to different parts of the animal at different stages for inspection and why that inspection is to be carried out is to certify that the meat from each animal slaughter is fit for consumption.
Dr. Benjamin Okwuchie, a Medical expert said that the poor handling of meat in abattoirs could lead to physical contamination, stressing that a situation where all manner of people accesses the slaughter house without check is inappropriate for a place where meat is processed for human consumption.
This is, however, far cry from what the Abbatoir was known for years back, during the reign of former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and his then successor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who were at the forefront in remodeling the Abbatoir and ensuring that it meets the world best practices.
The poor state of the Abbatoir has led to the call on the Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu led administration, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health and the Ministry Of Agriculture to wade into this issue and earnestly address the worrisome and abysmal state of the Oko Oba Abbatoir.
