Butchers Praise Uba Sani for Upgrading Abattoirs and Meat Processing in Kaduna

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has received praise for changing how meat is preserved and sold. He has also installed modern equipment like cold-chain facilities in abattoirs across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The Sabon Gari branch of Butchers Association of Nigeria praised the governor on Monday. They said his actions have improved food safety and hygiene. It has also reduced losses after slaughter and raised butchers’ earnings significantly.

The butchers further commended Governor Uba Sani for upgrading the Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir in Sabon Gari Local Government Area. This was during a media tour led by the Commissioner of Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki. Journalists looked at some projects in zone one during this tour.

Speaking for the Association, Alkasim Mai-Nama said that in the past, butchers had no storage facilities. They often had to throw away unsold meat, which caused them heavy 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. This has drastically reduced wastage, improved hygiene and increased our daily income,” Mai-Nama said.

He also mentioned that the better sanitary conditions at the abattoir have boosted public trust in the safety and quality of the meat processed there.

The Vice Chairman of the Butchers Association of Nigeria, Sabon Gari Branch, Jamilu Umar, called the governor's effort the best upgrade of the abattoir since it began 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 new perimeter fence has made things safer 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, 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, mentioned that the Uba Sani administration has focused on investments in the livestock value chain. This aims to improve productivity, strengthen food security and enhance livelihoods.
He said 19 pastoralist communities have received pasture fields and solar-powered boreholes. This is to lessen seasonal migration and reduce conflicts between farmers and herders.

“By providing grazing support and water infrastructure, we are enabling pastoralists to remain in designated settlements. This boosts meat and dairy production while promoting peaceful coexistence,” Mr Dabo said.

The commissioner also revealed that the state government has built three modern abattoirs across the three senatorial zones in Kaduna State, in Kawo (Kaduna North), Kafanchan (Jema’a) and Zango Shanu (Sabon Gari). They have also set up 21 slaughterhouses across the state to support the livestock value chain.

He noted that these facilities have modern cold-chain infrastructure, including cold rooms, deep freezers, display refrigerators, hygienic meat shops, solar-powered boreholes and water-heating systems. This ensures safe meat processing, storage and distribution.

He added that the upgraded Zango Shanu Modern Abattoir shows the Uba Sani administration’s commitment to improving public health, strengthening food safety, reducing waste, increasing incomes for those involved in the livestock value chain. It also positions Kaduna State as a leading area for livestock production and meat processing in Nigeria.