On your way out of Ibadan, on the Oyo expressway, you are likely to notice a large and fenced property lined with Moringa plants. You don’t need to look so closely to notice several compartments with red roofs, overhead water tanks and solar-powered street lights. Welcome to the multi-billion Naira modern abattoir, a project that was originated by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2009.
On getting to the 5km-wide property, one is likely to be welcomed by a small wiry man with a sparse beard, who thinks the place he is guarding is a farm. He will then politely announce that no one is allowed into the property.
     However, one does not need to get into the abattoir to see some of the facilities such as a police station, some flats with air conditioning systems and satellite dishes. There are tree-lined walkways and animal holding pens. Built on 15 hectares of land, the abattoir was supposed to serve about 11 local governments in Ibadan. In order to ensure that meats are hygienically processed, it was built according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
Located at Amosun village, Akinyele Local Government, the project is a build-operate and transfer (BOT) in conjunction with a private organisation, C & E Limited, which is expected to last for 30 years. By the time the Ibadan Central Abattoir was completed, Alao-Akala was no longer the governor, therefore, the reins fell on Abiola Ajimobi, his successor to inaugurate the project. On the December 14, 2014, Ajimobi announced the inauguration of the 3.8 billion Naira project on his Facebook page.
      At the ceremony, the merits of the newly constructed abattoir were reeled off – manual and mechanical slaughter slabs, holding pens for cattle, veterinary clinics, over 200 stalls for traders, a canteen, cold rooms, good road network, and a 24-hour electricity supply. According to the engineer in charge of the project who simply identified himself as Ahmadu, the abattoir would ensure proper and hygienic environment for animal slaughtering and meat transportation vans would be provided. The Oyo State government also said the abattoir, which may be the largest in West Africa, would provide employment for many.
    It was a welcome development in the state, as the Lam Adesina Cattle Market in Akinyele, (which is still in use till date) can be described as filthy and unsafe. Cows are slaughtered next to a high pile of rubbish, which consists of human and animal waste. Gutters are grimy, kraals are overcrowded and there are no meat vans for transportation. In fact, in Ibadan, it is not uncommon to find meat stashed in the boot of a taxi or a commercial bus.
    A report titled “Cattle cruelty and risk of meat contamination at Akinyele cattle market and slaughter slab in Oyo”, published by academics from the University of Ibadan further descried the sight of decay at the abattoir; “…cattle awaiting slaughter in abysmal health conditions, cows pulled with extreme force towards lairage and slaughter slab. Equally disturbing is the filthy situation inside the abattoir where the risk of contamination of meat is significant. Also, poor meat handling, transportation and sales practices subject meat to contamination leading to poor quality and exposure of human consumers to health risk.”
The authors of this report recommended a development of sterile slaughter operations, improved transportation system for both livestock and meat for all abattoirs in Nigeria.
Therefore, one would have assumed that the Ibadan Central Abattoir would be buzzing with all the activities synonymous to a modernised meat market. Surprisingly, this is not to be, the three-year old project remains abandoned, unused and is at the risk of dilapidation.