From Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
Butchers in Kaduna State say Governor Uba Sani has revolutionized meat preservation and marketing throughout the state by installing modern cold-chain facilities at abattoirs across the three senatorial districts.
The praise was voiced Monday by the Sabon Gari Branch of the Butchers Association of Nigeria, which stated that the governor’s efforts have enhanced food safety and hygiene, decreased post-slaughter losses, and significantly increased members’ incomes.
The organization shared these remarks during a media tour of the upgraded Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir in Sabon Gari Local Government Area.
The tour was coordinated by the Commissioner of Information and Culture, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, allowing journalists to observe projects in Zone One.
Representing the association, Alkasim Mai-Nama explained that the lack of storage facilities in the past forced butchers to discard unsold meat, leading to substantial financial losses.
“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,” Mai-Nama said. “This has drastically reduced wastage, improved hygiene, and increased our daily income.”
He also noted that the enhanced sanitary conditions at the abattoir have bolstered public confidence in the safety and quality of the meat processed there.
Jamilu Umar, Vice Chairman of the Butchers Association of Nigeria, Sabon Gari Branch, described the renovation as the most comprehensive since the abattoir’s establishment in the early 1980s.
“For more than three decades, we operated under very difficult conditions. There were no functional drainage systems to evacuate the blood, the water supply was poor, and there were no cold rooms for preservation,” Umar explained. “What we have today is a complete transformation that has restored dignity to our work and improved public health standards.”
Musa Dalhat Abubakar, Sarkin Fawan Badawa, stated that the construction of a perimeter fence has improved security and protected 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,” Abubakar said. “The improved infrastructure has attracted butchers and livestock traders from neighboring Katsina and Zamfara states, expanding commercial activities and boosting the local economy.”
Earlier, Kaduna State’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Malam Murtala Dabo, highlighted that the Uba Sani administration has prioritized investments across the livestock value chain to boost productivity, enhance food security, and improve livelihoods.
He revealed that 19 pastoralist communities have received pasture fields and solar-powered boreholes to reduce seasonal migration and minimize farmer-herder conflicts.
“By providing grazing support and water infrastructure, we are enabling pastoralists to stay in designated settlements, increasing meat and dairy production while promoting peaceful coexistence,” Dabo said.
The commissioner further stated that the state government has built three modern abattoirs across Kaduna State’s three senatorial zones—in Kawo in Kaduna North, Kafanchan in Jema’a, and Zango Shanu in Sabon Gari—along with 21 slaughterhouses across the state to strengthen the livestock value chain.
According to him, these facilities feature 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.
Dabo emphasized that the upgraded Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir demonstrates the Uba Sani administration’s dedication to improving public health, enhancing food safety, reducing waste, increasing incomes for stakeholders in the livestock sector, and positioning Kaduna State as a leading hub for livestock production and meat processing in Nigeria.
