FOLLOWING the contorversy on the proposed ban on sale and consumption of ponmp by the Federal Government, the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) had cautioned the move, saying the plan would infringe on te right of the people on what to eat at a particular time. 

 

A statement by the VCN Registrar, Dr. Markus Avong at the weekend argued that "banning the delicacy bacause of it's health hazard is one thing but government should of it's health hazard is one thing but government should be cautious because people have freedom on what they can take and you cannot just come up and say 'I want to criminalise the eating of a particular food as ponmo has food to those who are eating it. 

 

 "So the issue should be apprached with a lot of caution for the government not ending up making criminals of Nigerians because such law can be so severe instead of correcting the situation they don't end up making people criminals

 

 "What i am saying about this proposed ban of 'ponmo' is that there should be other ways to go about it. There must be enlightenment of the people, which a large number of Nigerians still don't know 'ponmo' is not an alternative source of animal protein. With the ignorance there must be the need to carry out massive campaign to let people know that it does not give any amount of protein."

 

 However, Avong also added that 'ponmo' actually lacks required nutritional value for the human body, and advised people to spend their money on what will improve their protein requirement

 

 "I want to look at 'ponmo' against its nutritional value with respect to what it provides when it provides when people consume it, and say that 'ponmo' has not got nutritional value in that respect. of course when we eat food we want it to provide something to meet our own mutritional demands".