Lagos Gov’t Insists Oko-Oba Abattoir Will Remain Shut Over Health Concerns

The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its stance that the Oko-Oba Abattoir will not be reopened until its operators comply fully with the state’s environmental and public health regulations.

Recall that the abattoir was closed last Thursday due to persistent environmental violations, including unsanitary waste disposal and unhygienic animal slaughtering practices.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said the facility was shut down following a petition from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Environmental officials who visited the abattoir discovered severe cases of waste mismanagement, with blood and animal waste being discharged directly into public drains—destroying infrastructure and affecting nearby homes.

According to Wahab, the deteriorating condition of the abattoir has forced many residents in the surrounding neighbourhood to vacate their homes due to unbearable stench and environmental hazards.

He accused the operators of ignoring existing mechanized and semi-mechanized facilities, choosing instead to cling to outdated, unsafe methods. “We took some of them outside the country to study modern practices, yet they continue to resist change,” he said.

“We had to make very tough, decisive decisions. And before then, we had a conversation with the operators to shape up. This idea of blackmailing the government on the ground of religion is not sustainable.

“This practice of slaughtering of cows in the old way and channeling the waste into the public infrastructure is not acceptable and when the operators persisted, we had to shut the place down,” Wahab said.

Wahab described the abattoir’s activities as unacceptable, saying some operators had relocated to an abandoned gas station and roadside locations to continue illegal slaughtering after the closure.

Enforcement teams have since been deployed to stop these operations.

“The government shut the abattoir because of the public overriding interest. People have thrown up questions, but the cost of meat and beef will go up. And I ask them, which comes first, the chicken or the egg? This is for public safety here. What we saw on the ground, we had no choice. And because they have chosen to defy the law,” he stressed.

He added that the Ministry of Agriculture, alongside agencies like LASEPA, LAWMA, and LASWAMO, had been monitoring the abattoir to ensure compliance, but resistance from the operators had made enforcement difficult.

Wahab emphasized that the government had engaged both the facility’s concessionaire, Harmony, and the operators’ leader, Galadima, warning them that untreated waste must no longer be discharged into public infrastructure.

He insisted on proper usage of the effluent treatment plant.

“What they are doing there has to stop. There must be a change of culture and attitude. Those blood, those waste destroy even the public infrastructure. I’m not even talking about health.

“In the Themes Agenda, you have health and environment. Because it’s cause and effect. If you manage the environment well, you don’t spend so much on health. It’s cause and effect,” he stated.

The commissioner also highlighted broader environmental challenges Lagos faces, especially those tied to climate change, such as sea-level rise, excessive rainfall, and extreme heat.

He urged residents to support tree-planting efforts, avoid turning green areas into concrete jungles, and comply with environmental laws.

Wahab revealed that the state had removed over 1,100 illegal structures to restore drainage systems and cleared more than 666,000 primary channels and 397 secondary collectors in the last two years.

He cautioned developers against encroaching on wetland areas in Iketu, Agbowa, Magodo, and other parts of the state, adding that the government would not allow any form of environmental abuse.

“Let us take ownership of our environment. If nature says to us there will be heavy rainfall, that there will be tidal and then there will be excessive heat let us play our parts too.

“On our own part as a government, we would continue to show more respect for the environment,” Wahab added.

Lagos Gov’t Insists Oko-Oba Abattoir Will Remain Shut Over Health Concerns is first published on The Whistler Newspaper