Nigeria’s Minister of Livestock, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has expressed deep concerns over the widespread consumption of animal hides and skins popularly known as ponmo highlighting both the economic impact and health risks associated with the practice.
Speaking during during Channels TV ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Wednesday, the Minister lamented that the practice of eating hides and skins, which could otherwise be used for leather production, is costing Nigeria billions of dollars in lost revenue.
“Now, we are not there yet because of certain incidences. If I tell you now we are eating shoes, we are eating bags, we are eating belts, et cetera, et cetera, somebody begins to wonder, ‘Why do you say I’m eating my shoes? I’m eating my bags, I’m eating my belts?’ Of course, these are hides and skins that we are eating. And these are the raw materials for making shoes, bags, and belts,” he stated.
He further emphasized the dangers posed by traditional methods of processing ponmo, which often involve using harmful substances such as kerosene or spent engine oil to remove hair from the skin.
“Because we love to eat meat with the skin attached to it, you slaughter an animal, you take kerosene or spent engine oil, you put on top of that animal, you put fire on it. After about 15, 20 minutes, the fire goes out, and you begin to scrape the hair. Because you want to eat your meat with skin attached to it,” the Minister explained.
According to him, this practice not only eliminates the possibility of using the hides and skins for industrial purposes—thus contributing to economic losses—but also poses severe health risks.
“Now, that skin that you talked about, about $1 billion, is no longer there. It’s not part of that calculation because we are eating it,” he said.
Beyond the financial loss, he warned that consuming meat processed with kerosene or other harmful chemicals could have serious health implications.
“Kerosene comes from crude oil. And when you put fire onto it, it ingresses into the meat. And what you are doing today has serious health hazards if you insist on eating that meat in that fashion,” he cautioned.
The Minister’s comments reignite the long-standing debate on ponmo consumption in Nigeria.
While the delicacy remains a staple in many households, particularly in the southwestern region, calls for its regulation or outright ban have persisted over the years due to its economic implications.
Stakeholders in the leather industry have long argued that restricting ponmo consumption could revive Nigeria’s struggling leather sector, which has the potential to generate significant revenue through exports and local production.
