Dumped Rotten Pigfeet Surface On The Market

An official of the Ministry of Commerce told The New Dawn that rotten pig feet dumped at Wein Town Official Waste Site, were illegally taken out by residents of the area who apparently sold it on the local markets.

“When we went back the next day, we saw the whole place dug. Most of the poverty people around the area go on the dumped site at night and dig the area, and sometimes they even fight over it.” Edwin Blemie, Information officer at the ministry of commerce, said.

In the quest to find out where these rotten pig feet came from to get on the market, an official of the Monrovia City Corporation told the New Dawn that they were brought in the country by the Abu Jaoudi Group of Company.

“We were told that Abu Jaoudi had imported the pig feet from Europe and that the shipping company forgot to put the freezing system on. So when it got here it was unfrozen, and so, it was supposed to be disposed of.” Nuepen Jalateh Information officer at the Monrovia City Corporation told this paper.

According to him, LIBRA which has the license to throw dirt at the dump site did not contact the Monrovia City Corporation to get an advice on the proper way to dispose of the pig feet.

“LIBRA contacted all the other stakeholders, but left out the Monrovia City Corporation. Any time you don’t dispose of food item properly, it ends up on the market. They dumped the rotten pig feet at Wein Town; unfortunately residents of the area dug it out to send it back on the market.”

The Information officer at the ministry of commerce said the proper procedure of forming an inter-ministerial committee made of agriculture, commerce, City Corporation and others were followed.

“When the government discovered that these pig feet were not good, they decided that this committee must dump the pig feet. That was done. It is not that the ministry or the inter-committee recycled the pig feet. The residents of the area, because of poverty, went there at night and dug the place.” Edwin Blemie said.

The superintendent for the Liberia Marketing Association or LMA, Madam Lusu Sloan, denied that her marketers were involved in the sale of rotten pig feet on the market, but confirmed the sales of the rotten pig feet.

“People at the Wein Town’s dump site are in the hobbit of collecting expired or rotten food items from dump sites in the country, to sell them to my marketers. This is not good, they need to stop it. I have given order to security officers of the LMA to run after those who are involved in this act.” Lusu Sloan said.

While it is true that residents of Wein Town get involved in this dangerous act because of poverty, observers believe that it is also an indisputable fact that the time has come for the government to take proper preventive measure against those who are importing these items.

“You can’t tell me that some one will forget to put a freezer on and I believe it. No, it is not standing at all. What I believe is that these pig feet were about to expire on the European market and someone, who wanted to make free money at the detriment of Liberians, decided to take them here for sale.” Blama Sackie, a consumer, told the New Dawn.

When contacted, an authority at Abi, Jaoudi, Mrs. Fatu White, via cell phone, told our reporter that Abu Jaoudi did not bring any pig feet into the country.“Tell the Monrovia City Corporation that they are lying.” She said in an angry tone.

In another development, the ministry of commerce has disclosed the sale of rotten butter rice on the market by the Homonym Rice Company.

Mr. Edwin Blamie says the company brought into the country about 5000 bags of the rotten rice and the ministry has ordered the closure of the offices of Homonym Rice Company and destruction of the rotten rice that is on the Liberian market.