Meat is known to be very rich in protein and it is readily available, cheaper in some parts than others. However, the unhygienic manner meat is handled before it is consumed leaves much to be desired. Isaac Shobayo reports on the appalling state of Jos Abattoir.

The state of the only abattoir in Plateau State, otherwise called Jos Abattoir, established in 1975 by the late Joseph Gomwalk administration, can best be described as unfortunate  considering its deteriorating condition occasioned by its abandonment by successive governments in the state.

The gigantic edifice, with all the necessary facilities and sections required of a standard abattoir, was constructed 35 years ago by Atlas-Copenhagen, Denmark. However, it  has become a relic and a breeding ground for diseases, thereby posing health hazards to the people living within the vicinity and those who have no choice but to consume the meat that comes from the abattoir.

In spite of the despicable state of the place, butchers still flock there daily to slaughter animals meant for consumption within the state capital. The high level of unhygienic practices, filth and avoidable degree of environmental nuisance posed by the abattoir is enormous.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited the abattoir recently, following myriad of complaints by both the butchers and people of the state, the entire abattoir was in a total shambles, with offensive odour oozing out of the slabs, even as butchers slaughtered cows and other animals indiscriminately on the dirty floor with little or no supervision by those saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that only healthy animals were slaughtered.

Going round the abattoir, one would discover that  some of the equipment are ageing, others were no longer functioning while others had been pilfered . The slaughtering methods and processes are crude and harmful.

Heaps of dung and other wastes of animals slaughtered were seen everywhere; Nigerian Tribune learnt that they had been there for years without any attempt to evacuate them while there were no proper drainage system to channel the water to appropriate destinations.

The means of transportation of slaughtered animals leaves much to be desired; butchers carry meat on their heads and others use motorcycles to transport meat around town.

To further worsen the pathetic state of the abattoir, the Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that, since 1994, power supply to the abattoir had been cut off and no attempt had been made to restore it since then. Water supply is also erratic, while the boreholes had since stopped functioning.

The only water tanker owned by the abattoir is as old as the abattoir itself. One of the butchers told the Nigerian Tribune that most of the time, they relied on unhygienic sources of water to wash the animals after they were slaughtered.

Sections like the laundry, laboratory, boiler room for hot water, slabs, cooling rooms and others, have packed up; the abattoir also does not have functional toilet facilities. The sewage system is nothing to write home about as wastes litter the premises.

A cross section of those who live within the vicinity of the abattoir who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune stated that the unhygienic state of the abattoir had become a problem to them, adding that despite several complaints to the appropriate authority, nothing had been done.

One of the property owners in the area, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity, said the waste from the abattoir, especially the water and the dung, had started affecting them health-wise, saying that most of the wells within the vicinity had been polluted.

According to him, apart from this, the porous state of the abattoir had made it a den for all manner of unwanted people at night, adding that it had also become an abode for those who smoked Indian hemp and a hideout for criminals.

The Project Manager, Jos Abattoir, Dr. Doris Bitrus, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, said the abattoir was once a cynosure of all eyes. Many years ago,  people visited  it and marvelled at the state of the art machines therein, adding that all these had become a thing of the past due to lack of maintenance culture.

Dr. Bitrus who identified water supply as one of the basic needs of any abattoir, said the existing boreholes could not meet the needs of the abattoir, adding that the water tanker owned by the establishment was very old and confirmed that there had been no power supply from the PHCN to the abattoir in the past 16 years, while the generator that was used there had since ceased to function.

The project manager, who said that the management of the abattoir was making concerted efforts to evacuate the heaps of animal dung, stated that it would have been better if the abattoir could have its own tipper and pay loaders for easy evacuation since it is the only abattoir within the state capital.

According to her, with the state of the abattoir, it would be difficult to generate the desired revenue. According to her, the management had been finding it difficult to control the entry of butchers, disclosing that many of them just enter the premises claiming to be butchers but they just constitute a nuisance.

On the hazard posed by the state of the abattoir, a veterinary doctor, Dr. Gyius Akinpelu, said the deplorable state of the only abattoir within the state capital was a threat to the people and could have adverse health effect on the people of Jos if not addressed in time.

Dr. Akinpelu said the abattoir was gradually becoming a breeding ground for all manner of diseases, pointing out that one of the likely diseases is zoonosis, which is an infectious disease that can be transmitted (by a vector) from other animals both wild and domestic, to humans or from humans to animals.

He stated that most diseases could be avoided because of the way Nigerians boiled their meat for a long period of time before consumption, and in some cases, even fry them before eating. He said that this is probably the reason things had not become so bad.

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