Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has been commended for transforming meat preservation and marketing as well as installing modern equipment like cold-chain facilities in abattoirs, in the three senatorial districts of the state.
The Sabon Gari branch of Butchers Association of Nigeria which commended the governor on Monday, also noted that his intervention has enhanced food safety and hygiene, reduced post-slaughter losses and significantly increased butchers’ earnings.
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The butchers also commended Governor Uba Sani for upgrading the Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir in Sabon Gari Local Government Area, during a media tour, which was facilitated by the Commissioner of Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, where journalists inspected some projects in zone one.
Speaking on behalf of the Association, Alkasim Mai-Nama recalled that the lack of storage facilities in the past meant butchers were often forced to dispose of unsold meat, resulting in heavy financial losses.
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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.
He added that the improved sanitary conditions at the abattoir have strengthened public confidence in the safety and quality of meat processed at the facility.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Butchers Association of Nigeria, Sabon Gari Branch, Jamilu Umar, described the intervention as the most comprehensive rehabilitation of the abattoir since it was established in the early 1980s.
“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.
‘’What we have today is a complete transformation that has restored dignity to our work and improved public health standards,” he added.
The Sarkin Fawan Badawa, Musa Dalhat Abubakar, said the construction of a perimeter fence has strengthened security and safeguarded the investments of butchers and livestock traders.
“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 stated.
Earlier, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, said the Uba Sani administration has prioritised investments across the livestock value chain to improve productivity, strengthen food security and enhance livelihoods.
He disclosed that 19 pastoralist communities have been provided with pasture fields and solar-powered boreholes to reduce seasonal migration and minimise farmer-herder conflicts.
“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,” Mr Dabo said.
The commissioner further revealed that the state government has constructed three modern abattoirs across Kaduna State’s three senatorial zones—in Kawo (Kaduna North), Kafanchan (Jema’a) and Zango Shanu (Sabon Gari)—in addition to 21 slaughterhouses across the state to strengthen the livestock value chain.
According to him, the facilities are equipped with modern cold-chain infrastructure, including cold rooms, deep freezers, display refrigerators, hygienic meat shops, solar-powered boreholes and water-heating systems to ensure safe meat processing, storage and distribution.
He said the upgraded Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir reflects the Uba Sani administration’s commitment to improving public health, strengthening food safety, reducing waste, increasing incomes for livestock value chain actors and positioning Kaduna State as a leading hub for livestock production and meat processing in Nigeria.
