The Nasarawa State Government has announced plans to concession and privatise public abattoirs across the state to improve meat hygiene, modernise facilities, and strengthen management.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Tanko Tunga, disclosed this on Monday in Lafia during a ministerial briefing organised by Dr Ibrahim Tanko, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism.
The ministerial briefing was to enable government officials to showcase achievements of their various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Tunga said that based on the reports on his table, most abattoirs across the 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state were dilapidated, prompting the decision to overhaul their operations.
“We cannot continue to allow meat meant for public consumption to be processed in unhygienic conditions,” the Commissioner stated.
“Privatisation will bring in private investors with capital and expertise to upgrade facilities, while the government ensure daily veterinary inspection, and enforces international hygiene standards,” he added.
According to Tunga, private operators would construct abattoirs, install boreholes, cold rooms, and waste treatment plants.
He further explained that the government would train butchers and ensure mandatory use of aprons, gloves, and boots and enforce daily sterilisation of tools to maintain the hygiene of the meat.
He said veterinary Doctors from the Ministry of Agriculture would continue to conduct ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections before approving meat to be fit for human consumption.
The Commissioner noted that the model is projected to create direct and indirect jobs for youths across the 13 LGAs of the state.
On the timely distribution of farm inputs to farmers, the Commissioner said that due to the gaps realised in the distribution over the years, the ministry had adopted measures to ensure that the products get to real farmers.
He explained that the ministry had put measures in place to ensure that farm inputs are not diverted and anyone caught indulging in diversion faces serious disciplinary action to serve as a deterrent.
On his part, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, said that his ministry had created a lot of avenues, including the ministerial briefing, to enlighten, educate and inform the public about the policies, programmes and projects embarked on by the present administration in the state.
He used the medium to appeal to the public, especially those from communities where agricultural projects and other facilities are provided, to take ownership and ensure its protection against criminals, vandals and saboteurs.
He therefore assured the public that the Gov. Abdullahi Sule-led administration was determined to ensure that all ongoing projects in different parts of the state are completed before the end of the administration in 2027. (NAN).
