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Taraba: Majority Of Residents Prefer Smuggled Frozen Chicken To Live Ones

By Charles Akpeji, Jalingo
11 July 2015   |   4:58 am
Despite the dangers alleged to be associated with the consumption of smuggled frozen chickens and Turkey, the quest for it in Taraba state seems to be on the increase. The Guardian investigation reveals that their prices are on the high side, but residents prefer them to live chicken with affordable. Some residents who spoke to…

poultryDespite the dangers alleged to be associated with the consumption of smuggled frozen chickens and Turkey, the quest for it in Taraba state seems to be on the increase.

The Guardian investigation reveals that their prices are on the high side, but residents prefer them to live chicken with affordable. Some residents who spoke to on the issue dismissed the ongoing rumour about dangers associated with the consumption of the products.

One of them who gave his name as Nicholas said: “ We have been hearing this fake news for long. If it is true that there are dangers in the consumption of frozen Turkey or chickens, I think many of us would have by now got rotten in the grave.”
Nicholas said apart from the fact they taste better, they are easily process than the live chickens.

According to him, “ as far as I am concern, I can move into any of the shops selling them and get what I want. But for the live chicken, what time did I have to go and slaughter it, remove the feathers and all that.”

“To be frank with you, I don’t believe that there is any danger in consuming imported frozen chicken because I have been consuming it for the past fifteen years and nothing had ever happened to my health.”

In his words, Auta Jacob said: “We are all Nigerians. You and I saw the way the Federal government reacted when the news of Ebola was associated with bush meat. So I am certainly sure that the same action would have been taken by the federal government had it been that there is any iota of truth in the rumour concerning frozen chickens’ side effect.”

Majority of the people who are in the habit of consuming the product are of the view that there is no amount of laws that would be enacted by the government on the prevention of consuming frozen chickens that would see the light of the day as those behind the importation of the product are the rich people.

According to Alhassan Jubril, “ I don’t see such laws working because those that even go for the product are top government functionaries. Many of whom don’t have time going through the pains of processing live chickens.”

Some poultry owners who are in the habit of freezing their chickens before sale told The Guardian that the pressure from the publics especially the rich make them to be doing so.

The demand which one of the poultry farmers said has been on the increase has compelled a lot of persons to venture into poultry business in the state.

Aligning their weights to that of their numerous customers who opined that there is no danger associated with the consumption, the rumour as made known by the poultry farmers “ is another plan being hatch by the authority to chase us into the unemployment market.”

According to madam Abigail who claimed to have been in the business for the past eight years, none of my customers have ever come back complaining of one ailment or the other after consuming my frozen chickens.”

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