Bans slaughter of animals in open places
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
To maintain the sanitation level of the environment and hygiene of meat sold for public consumption, the Ogidi Town Union has built an ultra-modern abattoir at Nkwo Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Preisdent-General of the town, Chief Jideofor Chuka Onubuogu, while handing over the abattoir, said the project gulped well over N4 million
He said that the union decided to build the abattoir because the butchers were staying at an unhygienic area, which posed danger to the health of the citizens, assuring that they would control and supervise the sanitisation of the place.
Onubuogu also stated that the community would generate revenue from the abattoir and warned the butchers to desist from killing unhealthy cattle and stolen cows in the place.
Commissioning the abattoir, the traditional ruler of Ogidi, Igwe Alex Onyido (Ezechuamagha 1 of Ogidi), warned the butchers against malice, envy and witch-hunt of members, advising them to trade with the fear of God.
He said the community had banned open killing of animals in the community apart from the designated area like the new abattoir where all animals in the community should be slaughtered to avoid contamination of disease, as well as to keep the entire environment clean.
He said anybody caught slaughtering animals in an open place or in an illegal place except the abattoir at Nkwo Ogidi would be punished based on the laws of the community.
“My advice for the butchers is that they should sustain the cleanliness of the place and eschew bitterness in their business because they are good in fighting and quarreling, they shouldn’t indulge in charm and poison in order to have progress at the market. The reason we built this abattoir was to reduce health hazard in the community and as well will not tolerate any illegal butcher area in this community,” he said.
The Onowu and Ekwueme of Ogidi, Chief Ifeanyi Udokwu, said the market would be a great one where other communities would come to do business due to its neatness.
He told the butchers that the traditional ruler would sink a borehole and provide toilet facilities at the market, and urged them to keep the environment clean.
He also urged them to abide by the values and norms guiding the community.
Chairman of Nkwo Ogidi Butchers Association, Chief Emeka Obibuenyi, commended the leadership of Ogidi Town Union led by Onubuogu for the construction of the abattoir and promised to keep the environment neat and clean at all times.
One of the traders, Mrs. Agnes Nwobi thanked the town union and traditional ruler for the gesture and promised to help keep the environment clean.