ONYEDI GABRIEL, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has ordered the shutdown of the popular Oginiba Slaughter Market in Trans-Amadi Industrial layout in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
The Rivers State Executive Council in a meeting presided over by Wike on Monday, directed all trading activities to stop in the abattoir.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Fred Kpakol, who spoke after the meeting said the land had been designated for a new project by the government.
Kpakol directed all occupants and persons doing business in the facility to move out within the next one month.
He said: “The slaughter in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt has now been permanently closed down and all trading activities have been directed to cease forthwith.
“A new project of the government will be built at Trans-Amadi (slaughter) soonest. All occupants and those doing business in Slaughter at Trans-Amadi are hereby advised to pack out of that land and premises on or before one month as the government intends to do a new project in that area.”
Kpakol recalled that at its previous meeting, the council approved the building of a new abattoir in Mgbuosimini, Rumueme.
He said the new abattoir, which would replace the slaughter in Trans-Amadi Industrial Layout, would be an automated facility.
Kpakol said the new abattoir would have the capacity to slaughter 400 cattle as well as 1500 goats and sheep in a day.
He said the modern abattoir would be world standard and would be set up in a hygienic environment.
“The modern abattoir to be built in Mgbuosimini in Rumueme, is a modern abattoir, fully automated with the state-of-the- art facilities.
“It has a meat mart, administrative building, internal roads, shore protection, veterinary clinics and laboratories that will check the animals before, and also the tissues when being slaughtered”, he said.
Also, the Rivers State AAttorne-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), explained that banning all trading activities at the slaughter market by the State government was in exercise of its right under the law.
He said that all the users of the market would be moved to the new abattoir to be constructed by the Rivers State Government.
He said: “The entire land lying and situated at the slaughter market in Oginiba, Trans-Amadi is state land. The Rivers State Government reserves the absolute right to decide on the use and otherwise of that land.
“In exercise of its right under law, governor has decided to ban all trading activities at that slaughter market and the users will be moved to the new abattoir to be constructed by the Rivers State Government.”
The Commissioner of Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim explained that the decision to shut the Oginiba slaughter and build a modern abattoir in Mgbuosimini, Rumueme was in line with the new Rivers’ vision, engineered by Governor Wike.