Ebola: Bush Meat Sellers Take Protest To Oyo Governor

While the fear of the spread of the Ebola virus has stopped many people from eating bush meat, sellers of the meat are grumbling and yesterday made their grievances known in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Scores marched to Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s office at the Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan, yesterday, complaining of low patronage due to the outbreak of Ebola disease.

The women under the aegis of Bushmeat Sellers Association lamented that since the announcement that the deadly disease could be caused by eating bush meat, spell had been cast on their sales.

Speaking on behalf of the association, Alhaja Risikat Odeyemi, Iyalode, Bushmeat Association, Oyo State, said it was strange that bush meat which had hitherto been taken as a special delicacy should now be seen as a poison.

“Our meat do not have any ebola virus. We don’t know why people should just be peddling rumour that would be injurious to other people. This is not good at all. They have spoilt our business without any good reason. What we heard is that the disease was contacted through the river. Why should they just start trying to be so unfair?”

The women said that before the announcement, a grass cutter was being sold between N2,000 and N4,000 and the same thing goes for antelope and other animals. But, now they regretted that there are no sales again, adding, “We normally stand by the roadside to invite prospective buyers. But now when we call them to buy bush meat, they always reply us saying, “ebola”. It is the same meat we have been eating and nothing has happened to us.”

She therefore appealed to the governor to help them dispel the rumour that bush meat causes Ebola.

2 COMMENTS

  1. see what illiteracy is causing ,how can right sensible person will be saying Ebola virus from bush meat is rumours. well they have right to protest’that tell us that our government have a lot to do about grass root information dissemination. long life Nigeria

  2. We have bn eating our delicious bush meat for a while. Why now? I tink liberia bush meat and congo bush meat are d deadly meats cox. Nigeria river has no ebola. Our bush meat takes good water. Ebola entered our country through dat Idiot Liberian Man not bush meat. May God Almighty Protect each and every1 of us. Ameen.