Lagos Cattle breeders, butchers fume over abattoir demolition

Cattle breeders and butchers in the popular Oko Oba Abattoir and Lairage Complex in Agege Lagos have continued to count their losses over the demolition of illegal structures by the state government. The concerned breeders are however calling on the government to redress what they called the destruction caused by the demolition, saying failure to […]

Cattle breeders and butchers in the popular Oko Oba Abattoir and Lairage Complex in Agege Lagos have continued to count their losses over the demolition of illegal structures by the state government.

The concerned breeders are however calling on the government to redress what they called the destruction caused by the demolition, saying failure to do so might compel them to take legal action.

The Lago State Government has said the demolition of ‘illegal’ structures and shanties in and around the Oko Oba abattoir in Agege was supported by cattle breeders and butchers in the market.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Oluwatoyin Suarau in a chat with Daily Trust said the state government was determined to sanitize the market and reposition it to the standards obtainable in advanced countries.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Oluwatoyin Suarau had on Sunday led a team of officials from the Ministry and men of the State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit to demolish ‘illegal’ structures and shanties in and around the abattoir.

The commissioner said the demolition was in fulfillment of its promise to restructure the complex for improved operations and develop the red meat value chain.

However the breeders who were livid with anger when Daily Trust visited condemned the demolition exercise which they described as a breach of earlier agreements reached with the government.

Secretary of Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACABAN), Maikudi Usman said the Fulani cattle breeders were astonished by the demolition despite the several meetings held with the commissioner.

 

He recalled that the government informed the breeders about the plan to upgrade the market and demolish shanties which he said they concurred with.

Usman said they however reached an agreement with the commissioner that the mosques and public toilets would not be touched.

He said to their dismay, three mosques and 22 public toilets built and managed by some of their members were demolished, adding that all the toilets and bathrooms were built with the necessary approved documents.

“This loss is too much for us. Those who built these toilets have collected loans and they have not paid back, where do they want us to put our heads? We have already written petition up to the National Assembly, the governor’s office, SSS and the Ministry of Agriculture to let the world know that what they did is wrong. We are law abiding citizens.”

Also speaking, Chairman of United Butchers’ Association in Agege, Alhaji Umar Adamu said most of the shanties they demolished were not built illegally, saying they were duly approved.

According to him, each of the toilets was built with N20m.

He said, “What happened was very unfortunate because we never expected what happened on Sunday morning to happen which explains why we have been meeting regularly with the government…We cannot incur these losses alone, government must do something about it”.

 But the agriculture commissioner Suarau said the toilets were an eyesore at the markets, adding that two mosques inside the abattoir were still spared.

On the toilets that were demolished, he said the butchers pleaded with the Ministry to only demolish substandard public toilets but they refused to identify those toilets that were substandard.

He said, “If you go there, you will pity those eating meat there. They have turned all the places to toilets. The way they scattered toilets is not good. So we have not done anything that is contrary to our agreements. They are just been mischievous.

“If you enter Abattoir, just by the left, you would see a mosque. If you move further a bit, you would see another general mosque and I told them I am ready to even build two big mosques for them and one general mosque for the Juma’at service but I notice they are not ready with this agreement”.