More than 6,000 herd of cattle are being slaughtered in Lagos daily for public consumption, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, has said.
Lawal said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the Oko-Oba abattoir alone accounts for the slaughter of 2,000 of the cattle.
“The problem with Oko Oba abattoir is that of large number.
“The abattoir, which was built in 1991 with modern facilities, has only 1,200 slabs and is the largest anywhere in the world.
“Because of this, many butchers do not wait for the slaughter line to process their meat.
“This put pressure on the surroundings, which is a challenge that the government is addressing,’’ he said.
According to the commissioner, the state government is partnering with a private operator, through its Public Private Partnership (PPP), to address the effluents from the abattoir.
He also said that through the PPP arrangement, government would start the conversion of the cattle waste, at the abattoir, to biogas.
Lawal explained that wastes from the abattoir and the animal market, would also be used as fertiliser.
He said that already the state government’s reform in the handling of animals were yielding results.
According to him, the Eko-Life animal vehicles have been effective in transporting animals and meats round the state.
The commissioner said that the state currently has 25 veterinary doctors to complement existing health personnel at the abattoir. (NAN)
