The General Manager of the environmental agency, Babatunde Ajayi, disclosed that burning cow skin in different areas of the state releases carbon emissions into the air, which are very harmful to humans.
"Ponmo is made by burning cow skin. This involves burning the cow skin for an extended time on fire before it reaches the perfect texture. Thereafter, the roasted skin is washed several times and boiled for several hours to soften it."
Air pollution caused by traffic and congestion, biomass fuel burning, and shipping poses major threats to sustainable growth in Lagos.
Against the backdrop of the data on air quality that the state agency released, which showed that the air quality was below healthy, Ajayi said agricultural emission contributes to poor air quality.
The data by LASEPA across the 22 areas measured found that the air quality in those areas ranged from moderate to unhealthy, with Agege, Akoka, Ojo, and Ketu topping the list of areas with the most unhealthy air quality.
Revealing how agriculture causes massive carbon emissions in the state, he said, "Some areas are purely agricultural. This includes animal farming, particularly the processing of hides and skin."
“The burning of cow skin in Agege would account for a huge amount of carbon emissions. So, if you like ponmo, you are causing a major problem to the air quality of Lagos.”
Ajayi added that vehicular emissions also contribute to the poor quality of air in the state. “Lagos has a very high volume of vehicles on the road, larger than most cities in Nigeria, so they are a major culprit,” he said.
“The second is industrial emission. Many of these areas have several kinds of industries. The entire Lagos has pockets of industries in different regions. So, in regions where you have high concentration, they will have poorer air quality.
“Thirdly, would be commercial or residential emissions from generators. Every household probably has a generator. The emissions from those generators depend on their quality, how frequently they are serviced as well as the health of the generator.”
