Rivers Closes Largest Slaughter Market Permanently
Rivers State Government has now permanently shut down Oginiba slaughter market located in Trans -Amadi Industrial layout, Portfolio in Harcourt.
According to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Fred Kpakol, the decision to close the market permanently was taken at the state executive council meeting on Monday presided over by Governor Nyesom Wike.
Briefing journalists after the council meeting, Kpakol said a new project of government has been designated to be sited at the location of the market.
He said all occupants and those doing business in the market have one month within which to move out.
“The slaughter in Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt has now been permanently closed down and all trading activities have been directed to cease forthwith.”
The government had temporarily closed the market in March in the wake of the spread of Covid-19. After the lifting of the lockdowns, traders in the market had been pleading with the governor to reopen the market to no avail.
The commissioner for agriculture however said that all abattoir activities in Port Harcourt will move to a new abattoir in Mgbuosimini, Rumueme, where an automated facility is being installed to handle the daily slaughtering of 400 cattle and 1,500 goats and sheep. According to him, the modern abattoir will be world standard and will be set up in an 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 briefing journalists, the Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor, explained that banning of all trading activities at the slaughter market by the state government was within the powers of the government under the law.
“The entire land comprise, lying and situate at 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 is in line with the new Rivers’ vision , engineered by Governor Wike.
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