LAGOS GOVT REOPENS OKO-OBA ABATTOIR AFTER MEETING SANITATION STANDARDS

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By: Sefiu Ajape

The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate reopening of the Oko-Oba Abattoir in Agege after the facility’s operators complied with required sanitation and hygiene regulations.

The abattoir had been sealed on June 19 over reported environmental violations and improper operational practices.

In a post on X on Saturday, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, stated that the operators had “substantially complied with the minimum benchmark for the operations of abattoirs in the state, which was flagrantly flouted initially, necessitating the closure.”

Officials from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources are expected to carry out monthly inspections of the facility.

“We therefore urge the operators to avoid unsanitary activities, waste mismanagement, and unhygienic handling of animal products as they conduct their businesses,” the ministry said in a statement issued on Friday.

Prior to the closure, Wahab had visited the facility and expressed concern about its condition, noting in a video that, “They slaughter animals, discharge waste into the public drainage system, and it’s just unacceptable.”

He also observed that some people were residing within the market alongside animals, describing the situation as both unsafe and unhygienic.

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps dismantled illegal structures built along the drainage setbacks within the abattoir premises.