Butchers hail Kaduna gov’s abattoir upgrade, say cold rooms end meat waste

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Butchers in Kaduna State have praised Governor Uba Sani for upgrading abattoirs across the state, saying the provision of modern cold-chain facilities has ended years of post-slaughter losses, improved hygiene and boosted their incomes.

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The butchers, under the auspices of the Butchers Association of Nigeria, Sabon Gari Branch, gave the commendation on Tuesday during a media tour of the upgraded Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir in Sabon Gari Local Government Area.

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The tour, organised by the Kaduna State Ministry of Information and Culture, enabled journalists to inspect projects executed by the state government in the northern senatorial district.

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Speaking on behalf of the association, Alkasim Mai-Nama said the lack of preservation facilities had for decades forced butchers to throw away unsold meat, resulting in huge financial losses.

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He, however, said the installation of modern cold rooms by the Uba Sani administration had transformed meat preservation and marketing.

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“Before now, if meat remained unsold, we had no option but to throw it away because there was nowhere to preserve it. Today, with the cold rooms provided by Governor Uba Sani’s administration, we can safely store meat for later sale. This has drastically reduced wastage, improved hygiene and increased our daily income,” Mai-Nama said.

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He added that improved sanitary conditions at the abattoir had strengthened public confidence in the safety and quality of meat processed at the facility.

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Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Butchers Association of Nigeria, Sabon Gari Branch, Jamilu Umar, described the intervention as the most extensive rehabilitation of the abattoir since it was established in the early 1980s.

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“For more than three decades, we operated under very difficult conditions. There were no functional drainage systems to evacuate blood, water supply was poor, and there were no cold rooms for preservation.

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“What we have today is a complete transformation that has restored dignity to our work and improved public health standards,” Umar said.

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The Sarkin Fawan Badawa, Musa Dalhat Abubakar, also lauded the construction of a perimeter fence around the facility, saying it had enhanced security and protected the investments of butchers and livestock traders.

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“For over 30 years, the abattoir remained exposed to encroachment and theft because there was no fence. Today, our businesses are more secure, and the improved infrastructure has attracted butchers and livestock traders from neighbouring Katsina and Zamfara states, expanding commercial activities and boosting the local economy,” he said.

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Earlier, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, said the state government had intensified investment across the livestock value chain to improve productivity, strengthen food security and enhance livelihoods.

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According to him, 19 pastoralist communities have been provided with pasture fields and solar-powered boreholes to reduce seasonal migration and minimise farmer-herder conflicts.

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“By providing grazing support and water infrastructure, we are enabling pastoralists to remain in designated settlements, boosting meat and dairy production while promoting peaceful coexistence,” Dabo said.

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The commissioner disclosed that the state government had constructed three modern abattoirs in Kaduna State’s three senatorial districts—Kawo in Kaduna North, Kafanchan in Jema’a and Zango Shanu in Sabon Gari—as well as 21 slaughterhouses across the state.

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He said the facilities were equipped with cold rooms, deep freezers, display refrigerators, hygienic meat shops, solar-powered boreholes and water-heating systems to ensure safe meat processing, preservation and distribution.

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Dabo added that the upgraded Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir reflected the Uba Sani administration’s commitment to improving public health, strengthening food safety, reducing post-slaughter losses and increasing the incomes of operators in the livestock value chain.

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