By Mimi Chiadikaobi
Chief Charles Okafor, Chairman Obinwanne Butchers Association, Awka, said that the association needs more government attention to ensure that the slaughter house is of International Standard.
He said that the government presence is needed to enable the association have modern butcher facilities to promote healthy and clean environments with instead of local facilities in use now.
Okafor said in an interview with the Newsmen that the butchers centre at Kwata Awka, is a private based slaughter house built since 1976 on Wednesday in Awka.
He said that the butchers centre is serving the whole of Awka South Local Government Area, LGA, and its environs through its self -help proceeds to ensure a clean environment.
Okafor disclosed that the state ministry of environment officers comes on inspection together with the veterinary doctors on daily bases who certifies both the animals and the environments.
Okafor said that the also pay the government monthly levies such as slaughter levy of N100,000 and Inspection fee to ensure that the animal health.
He said that they need government to come to their attention to provide enabling environment to operate optimally to reduce members frequent contribution to maintain the centre.
Okafor disclosed that Gov. Charles Soludo within six months of his administration had rehabilitated erosion threaten roads leading to the center and believes that other needs of the centre would be attended to by his administration
Okafor said that he was elected into office on May 25, 2021,for a term of 4 years and that his core goal was to deal with hygiene of the butcher centre as a way out of the abnormal before his emergency.
“I have made serious efforts to change the narratives of slaughtering cows and goats and selling same in an unhygienic environment to the public.
“I have value for good health and cleanliness so with sensitization the members have been cooperating to ensure good market environment.
“We contributed about N860,000 in September 2021 to dig a borehole to supply water against the use of shallow -well being use before his assumption of office.
“ I built administrative office, slaughter slabs, animal cage, toilets amongst other units to make the environment friendly ”he said.
Okafor said that the association has a character checks model through the collection of data base of members with their guarantors details with the association data base.
Mr Ezekiel Nwafor, a butcher said that the slaughter house is very clean now because of the leadership of the association where new ideas are put out for us to follow.
“You can see how clean all the table and the ground is, if anyone defaults he will be penalized based on the market rules.
“ We want government to visit us to help make the place more better and also reduce the cost of the running the place.
Mrs Franca Okeke is buyer said that the butchers is of a good behavior because they do not fight over customers or make uncomplimentary comments to customers.
Okeke said that she is a hotelier of many years and have not seen the slaughter house orgainsed as it is now and commended the leadership of the market
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