Ondo shuts ponmo centre after human waste found on site

By Boye Oyeyemi

A processed cow skin production facility in Akure, Ondo State, has been shut down following an environmental inspection that uncovered human waste on its premises.

The Akure South Local Government Chairman, Gbenga Donald Fasua, ordered the immediate closure of the Igboliki Street establishment during October’s monthly sanitation exercise.

Fasua discovered the unsanitary conditions while leading an inspection team through Oke Aro, Iro, and Igboliki streets to enforce regional environmental regulations.

Inspectors reportedly found two buckets filled with human faeces alongside containers containing urine stored in close proximity to where the animal hides were processed.

The local authority immediately sealed off the facility, which had reportedly been processing and supplying cow skin to regional markets for over 21 years.

Angered by the extreme health hazards on site, Fasua ordered the total destruction of all existing ponmo inventory to prevent its sale to the public.

The chairman confirmed that legal proceedings have commenced and the business operator will face prosecution under relevant state environmental laws.

Fasua warned that the unhygienic conditions posed a severe public health hazard and raised concerns regarding potential cholera transmission within the community.