In order to resuscitate tanneries, the federal government said that it was considering laws to outlaw the eating of animal skin, known locally as “Ponmo.”
Muhammad Yakubu, the director general of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, NILEST, Zaria, announced this on Sunday in Abuja.
According to the Agricultural Research Institute Act of 1975, NILEST was established to encourage the manufacture of leather.
The institution carries out research on leather manufacturing, leather goods, and the use of domestic tanning resources in the nation.
Yakubu, who said the litigation was necessary to revive the comatose leather industry in the country, 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.
The Director-General added that the institute, in collaboration with stakeholders in the industry, would approach the national assembly and state governments to bring out legislation banning “ponmo” consumption.
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.
“At one point, there was a motion before the two chambers of the national assembly, it was debated but I don’t know how the matter was thrown away.”
He also said the current National Leather Policy had addressed some fundamental problems of the sector.
Yakubu said: “If we get our tanneries, our footwear and leather production working well in Nigeria, people will hardly get pomo to buy and eat.
“When implemented fully, it would turn around most of the comatose tanneries and ginger greater output in production.”
