The Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather
Science & Technology (NILEST), Zaria, Dr Isuwa
Adamu, has said that consumption of animal hides
and skin, popularly known as Ponmo is dangerous to
human health. Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria,
NAN, in Abuja, Adamu said scientific research
has shown that ponmo doesn't have any nutritional
value to human health and that some of the animals
where ponmo is gotten from are usually sick & harbor
dangerous chemicals.
"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. 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 advised the Federal government to put in place
policies that would reduce the consumption of Ponmo
in Nigeria.
