Abuja Abattoir Workers Make Money But ‘They’re Dying’

Workers at the abattoir in Tungan Maje, located at the Gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja look happy as they crowd around to singe the animals in open fire fueled by used tyres.

The abattoir is usually busy as from 3 am everyday as they try to meet customers’ deadline. Some customers pay for the slaughtering of up to 50 goats, with some of the workers getting up to five customers in a day.

They charge between N2000- N3,500 for every animal slaughtered and cut into sellable pieces.

The job seems easy with the toughest part being the singeing of the animals before removing the hide and internal organs and sawing the rest into pieces for sale or further processing.

One of the workers at the abattoir workers who spoke to THE WHISTLER in Hausa, Na Dakwa,  said they usually wake up early so that they can meet the “high demands” for their services and to enable the customers pick up at daytime.

He said,  “This goat I’m working on was supplied by a customer. I usually charge customers depending on their bargaining power. For each goat I process, I charge from N2000 to N3000.

“Someone working in a government office cannot earn what I’m earning here, if they try to get such an amount I’m getting, they will end up being sacked in office. “

But Na Dakwa is also aware of the health implications of his trade because he had seen some of his colleagues passed on due to health challenges largely caused by the business of singeing animals.

But he found a way to manage his health through self-medication. He said after finishing a day’s job, he goes to buy painkillers and sometimes takes herbs.

“There are traditional medicines everywhere. On the trees and the surrounding environs,” he said.

Afam, who hails from Enugu State, also works at the abattoir singeing, washing and cutting animals for a fee.

He charges N3,500 and prepares more than 20 goats in a day, earning at least N70,000(seventy thousand naira) daily.

But despite the money he makes, he’s more aware of the risks to his health. He said: “

“We make use of car tyres to kindle the fire we roast these goats with. It kindles like kerosene. While the fireplace is made of moulded sand.

“We take blood tonic to help us against the smoke because it is entering our body. We do this because we experience things like chest pains, coughs and body pains. So many people have passed on because of the effect of this work on us.

“Like this year now, two people have died as a result. They started coughing terribly until they died. One had kidney complications too apart from the cough and died as a result.”

He has also resorted to self-medication, buying drugs from hawkers around the abattoir. The drugs give him the strength to work the next day.

 Dr Tsav Nensha Seth, a Radiologist at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, who spoke to THE WHISTLER, said there are several health hazards the abattoir workers and consumers of their products may be exposed to.

He said aside from the deleterious effect of the smoke to the workers, the meat can be contaminated with elements like zinc, copper and lead.

He said, “The smoke the workers inhale can deposit into the lungs compromising gaseous exchange in the lungs, hence causing production of black sputum, itchy eyes and tears, dizziness, headache, vomiting, chest pain and cough.

“There is every possibility that it can also cause lung cancer in the long run, (though, this has not been scientifically proven yet, but there is every possibility).”

The health expert explained further that on the part of the consumers, the scrap tyres contain iron, zinc, copper and cadmium which are heavy metals.

He said the metals when consumed can affect the function of almost every organ in the body from the liver to the kidneys.

“It also has teratogenic effects, causing congenital anomalies on the foetus. These elements basically disrupt and damage DNA composition and repair which in the long run can also cause cancers,” he highlighted.

Dr Seth recommended that the government should put proper measures in place to ensure the safety of the abattoir workers, as well as the consumption of healthy meats.

He called for “proper abattoirs, regular monitoring, singeing gears for workers, international best practices for meat singeing, use of hot water, or skinning of animals.”