The committee set up by the Kano State Government to investigate the sale of the Nigerian Meat and Allied Products (NIMAP) Abattoir has visited the site in the Challawa area of Kano to assess its current condition.
Speaking to journalists during the inspection, the committee chairman, Barrister Muhyi Magaji Rimingado, described the disposal of the multi-million-naira facility as “a monumental destruction of unimaginable magnitude.”
Rimingado, a former chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, said the abattoir was originally designed to provide multiple services that would generate revenue and create job opportunities for residents.
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“The committee has seen for itself the structures that have remained here for the past 35 years. This place once housed many fish ponds that were sustained by the remains of the abattoir’s operations. We were recently told that the government even received proposals from Arab countries to invest in processing halal meat here for both domestic use and export,” he said.
He explained that the visit was necessary to establish what happened to the facility, adding that individuals, organizations, or government agencies found culpable would be investigated and recommended for appropriate action.
“Though much of the structure is no longer standing, the remains are clear to see. We have all the records on paper, and based on our report, if the government decides to revive the abattoir, it would require no less than ₦20 billion. We are investigating who destroyed the structures, where the equipment is, and we will trace those who bought the facilities,” he added.
Rimingado noted that the committee’s mandate also includes identifying those who were allocated or sold portions of the land, assuring that the findings would help recover the abattoir’s lost glory and restore accountability.
The abattoir, established more than three decades ago as a key economic and employment hub for Kano, has fallen into neglect following its controversial disposal. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, last Wednesday, inaugurated an 11-member panel to investigate the alleged sale of the multi-billion-naira NIMAP facility under the previous administration.
