Lawyer Threatens To Sue The FG Over The Intended Ponmo Ban 

The lawyer stated that the ordinary man’s stew and soups still include ponmo, which is the most consistent source of meat-like protein.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Monday Ubani, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, has vowed to sue the federal government over the idea of outlawing the eating of ponmo, or cowhide.

To support the leather sector, the federal government may have decided to ban the sale and popular consumption of ponmo.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), Muhammad Yakubu, claimed that legislation was being considered to make it illegal to consume ponmo in the nation, which led to the appearance of this indication.

In order to safeguard the leather industry and strengthen the economy of the country, Yakubu had argued that it was necessary to halt the practice of eating ponmo, which he said had little nutritious value.

He continued by saying that the institution was collaborating with industry players to contact the National Assembly and state legislatures about passing legislation outlawing the consumption of ponmo.

In response to the news, Ubani questioned the justification for the proposed ban on the consumption of ponmo in a statement he personally signed on September 21, 2022.

The lawyer stated that the average man’s stew and soups still include ponmo, which is the most reliable source of meat-like protein. He continued by saying that given the high cost of fish, meat, and other kinds of protein, ponmo offers a more affordable choice for regular people to satiate their demand for animal protein.

The federal government should scrap the proposal or get ready for a protracted court struggle, according to Ubani, who called the program “callous and anti-people.”

Ubani’s said, “The truth is that pọnmọ remains the most constant protein or meat-like substance in the common man’s stew and soups. While politicians and rich Nigerians as well as their families enjoy all manner of proteins in their sumptuous and mouth-watering meals that are the envy of the common man, they have become restless and jealous of the only meat-like item that the average citizen chews while eating his ‘meal of affliction.’ Such a government pronouncement and planned policy of banning pọnmọ cannot be fair and just. It is ill-advised and we reject it in its entirety.”

“I shall be prepared to undertake this public interest case on behalf of millions of Nigerians who consider this delicacy too palatable to be taken off their dining tables or better still, dining floors, more so when it remains the only affordable substance that has a semblance of meat or fish in the common man’s meals. A word is enough for the wise.“