The Lagos State Government has said the Oko-Oba Abattoir in Agege will remain closed until operators fully comply with environmental laws and improve hygiene standards.
Speaking during a live television appearance on Sunday, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, stressed that the government would not compromise public health or environmental safety for business convenience.
“The abattoir will remain closed until the operators are ready to engage with the government and adhere to minimum operating standards,” Wahab said.
The Guardian reported that the facility was shut down last Thursday following reports of waste mismanagement, poor sanitation and unhygienic meat handling practices. According to Wahab, these violations had already affected assets located outside the abattoir and generated persistent complaints from residents.
He recalled that despite previous government interventions, including taking abattoir stakeholders abroad to learn modern slaughtering techniques, the operators remained largely uncooperative. He also revealed that the latest action was triggered by a formal complaint from the Commissioner for Agriculture, calling for urgent intervention due to severe environmental degradation.
“Instead of using animal pens as intended, they have turned them into living quarters,” Wahab said, adding that enforcement officers were deployed after reports emerged that some operators had relocated slaughter activities to an abandoned gas station and roadside locations.
He maintained that Lagos would not allow a breakdown of law and order. “This is not a Hobbesian state. Once there are regulations, the people must comply,” he stated.
The commissioner explained that the abattoir’s operations are supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture, with regular monitoring by LASEPA, LAWMA, and LASWAMO officials. He criticised the concessionaire (Harmony) and the operators’ leader (Galadima) for allowing untreated animal waste to flow into public drains.
He said that despite existing mechanised and semi-mechanised facilities within the abattoir, the operators only use about 10 per cent of the infrastructure, opting for less hygienic, manual methods.
Addressing broader environmental challenges in Lagos, Wahab highlighted climate change-induced problems such as sea level rise and flash flooding in low-lying reclaimed areas. He said that about 1,141 contraventions had been removed to improve drainage systems and restore the right of way.
He warned developers against building on wetlands in Iketu, Agbowa, and Magodo, saying such encroachments would not be tolerated. Wahab added that over 666,000 primary drainage channels and 397 secondary collectors had been cleared in the last two years.
“Let us take ownership of our environment,” he urged residents. “Nature will always challenge us, but we must do our part while the government continues to prioritise environmental safety.”
Wahab also called on residents to support climate mitigation by planting trees and preserving green spaces, noting that LASPARK had planted over 20,000 trees this year alone.
