A Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ilorin, Saka Nuru, has called on Nigerians to ignore rumours making the rounds that the consumption of cow skin, locally known as "Ponmo", is dangerous to human health. Prof. Saka, who made this known last Tuesday (August 18, 2015) while featuring on a popular Yoruba programme on Unilorin 89.3 FM, Oro t’on lo, said, "Though eating Ponmo does not add any nutritional value to man's health, it does not have any negative effect on the body once it is boiled perfectly".

The former Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria don, who is the first Professor in Ilorin Emirate, said that the consumption of Ponmo as meat substitute by most Nigerians might not be good enough if the economic implication is considered. According to Prof. Saka, the cow skin can be processed into leather, which can further be used to make products such as shoes, wallets, leather jackets, and other leather products.

He, however, appealed to the government at all levels to mobilise the citizens on how to make the best use of the cow skin, adding that, doing such would create job for many Nigerians as well as boosting the economy of the country. The septuagenarian don also appealed to Nigerians to always keep their environment clean in order to prevent diseases, adding that a healthy environment is central to increasing our quality of life.

Prof. Saka urged the government agencies in charge of maintaining healthy environment to always do their jobs diligently and make sure that the abattoirs in every part of the country are always clean so that Nigerians can consume healthy meat. He also denounced the habit of solving disputes with strikes, especially by the medical practitioners, adding that such acts by practitioners of a prestigious profession such as medical doctors should be abolished. He however urged the governments to make the welfare of medical doctors top priority in order to stem the tide of incessant trade disputes.

The renowned veterinarian condemned the habit of consuming junk foods by many Nigerians, especially the youth, saying that such food items kill faster than the known diseases. The elder statesman commended the management of the University of Ilorin for the landmark achievements recorded by the institution. Prof. Saka also commended the various staff unions in the University for allowing uninterrupted academic calendar for the past 15 years.

He also applauded the management of the University for establishing Unilorin 89.3 FM, which, he said is the best campus radio station in Nigeria. He said, "Though, there is a campus radio station in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where I served before coming to the University of Ilorin, its coverage and programming cannot be compared with that of Unilorin FM".

Prof. Saka then commended the management of the campus radio station that transmits for 24 hours every day for initiating well-appreciated local programmes for the local communities. "No community service is better than what Unilorin FM is doing", he noted.