Dr Isuwa Adamu, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST), Zaria, on Tuesday warned against the consumption of animal hides and skin known locally as “ponmo”.
Adamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the consumption of the product as meat substitute was dangerous to health.
According to him, scientifically, ponmo does not have any nutritional value to human health.
“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 these skin diseases are such that boiling them ordinarily, may not kill the bacteria,’’ Adamu said.
He added that some of the animals killed had been ill and undergoing injections but the rearers went ahead to kill them, leaving the buyers vulnerable to chemicals in the animal skin.
“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,’’ he explained.
He added that the skin of animals harbour so many of the harmful waste materials that the body secretes and boiling only could not remove some of those wastes.
The NILEST boss said the institute was putting up efforts to sensitise the public and advise 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.
Adamu advised the government to come up with policies that could be enforced to reduce the consumption of hides and skin as meat substitute.
He added that this would enhance the quality and quantity of raw hides and skin that are available to meet the demands of the tanneries.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/ponmo-consumption-dangerous-health/#sthash.vCnBAqHC.dpuf

Space booked!

Nice write-up, keep it up...
#hope to see the government come-up with an implementable policies as stated by the health official.
Next!!

I've known about it having no nutritional value but it hasn't stopped me from taking it. Although, this disease and chemical ish now scares me.

All this one na story for the gods. They have banned tobacco, now they want to ban ponmo. No way no way.

Hummmm

Na this same ponmo my grandpa dey chop o, and he still dey alive.

Even if u check my grandma soup now, u go still see am,..
Why una won spoil market for some people.
This pEople no dey think before thy do something.

op come to odo-eran at cele and see d stages kponmo pass thru bfor enterin ur pot,
it is burnt first wen animal is killed to remove fur
then boiled by and roasted, befor being sold, then d buyer boils again bfor putin in pepper stew, some boil and then fry,
so them no born d skin disease wel or chemicals to survive that process, even incredible hulk disease go die for stage 2

.