‘Ponmo’ Is Dangerous To Health- Official

Mr Isuwa Adamu, the Director-General, Nigerian Institute of
Leather Science and Technology (NILEST), Zaria today warned against the
consumption of animal hides and skin locally known as ponmo. According to him,
ponmo is dangerous to health because it has no nutritional value and it has
been proven scientifically.

“In fact, it is not advisable for you to consume ponmo in
the sense that some of the animals killed and used for ponmo actually have skin
diseases. 

“Some of the animals because of the ailments that they have
gone through, are sometimes treated by way of injection with chemicals.

“People don’t allow these chemicals to complete its cycle
and be removed from the body; they sometimes go ahead to kill these animals.

“So, if you consume the ponmo, the tendency is that you are
consuming the chemicals directly because the skin part of the animal retains
most of the harmful substances.

“Remember your skin is the major protective organ of your
body and your skin harbours so many of the harmful things that are supposed to
penetrate into your body.

The skin of animals’ harbours so many of harmful waste
materials that the body secretes and boiling only cannot remove some of those
wastes, he added.

He noted that the institute is presently putting up efforts
to sensitise the public and advice governments on policies that will help to
reduce the consumption of animal skin to the barest minimum.

According to him, ponmo consumption is a national and
traditional issue that just putting up laws may not really help to stop it. He advised
the government to come up with policies that could be enforced to reduce the
consumption of hides and skin as meat substitute.  And this would also enhance the quality and
quantity of raw hides and skin that are available to meet the demands of the
tanneries.