FG Plans To Ban Ponmo, Says It Has No Nutrition to Nigerians

• Ponmo consumption has no nutritional value and as a result, it has been banned according to the federal government
• Specifically, the government said the habit of consuming animal skin needs to be stopped in Nigeria
• This, according to the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, will help revive the leader industries of the country

In a move that will likely annoy many people, the federal government says it is proposing legislation to ban the consumption of animal skin, locally known as ponmo, in the country.

According to the federal government, this will help in reviving tanneries, The Cable reports.

This was disclosed in Abuja by Muhammad Yakubu, director-general, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Zaria.

Yakubu said the litigation was necessary to revive the comatose leather industry in the country.

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Going further, he said the habit of eating animal skin, which has no nutritional value, should be stopped to save the industry and boost the nation’s economy.

He said:

“To the best of my knowledge, Nigerians are the only people in the world that overvalue skin as food, after all, Ponmo has no nutritional value.

Going further, he blamed the consumption of animal skin for the present comatose state of tanneries in Nigeria.

Truckload of substandard ponmo arrives Nigeria as Rivers government makes discovery

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Nigerians are at the mercy of criminal-minded entrepreneurs who are bent on making money at all costs. This is the case of some arrested people who were caught with a truckload of suspected substandard animal hide, popularly called ponmo.

The Rivers state government intercepted the substandard ponmo in Onne, Eleme local government area of the state. Dr Fred Kpakol, the commissioner for agriculture, confirmed the incident while speaking to journalists in Port Harcourt.

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According to him, the ponmo came into the country from Madagascar. He said the truck has been taken to the police area command in Eleme for further investigation.

Inflating prices of goods has become the new norm in Lagos market

Meanwhile, food prices in Lagos market continue to soar following recent inflation rate. The country’s inflation has been on the rise since the country shuts its land borders in 2019. The situation, however, worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic which affected the global economy and in recent times, due to security issues within the country. This has led to food security challenges in some states within the country.

While the country is yet to recover from the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the rising insecurity rate has led to rise in inflation recently. The result so far is the grappling economy, hike in food prices, short supply of goods in the market and rise in unemployment rate. This issue, according to traders, has led to a significant drop in the purchasing power of buyers.

Source: Legit.ng