The Federal Government says it is suggesting legislation to ban the consumption of animal skin, most known as ponmo in the country to revive the leather industry.

Muhammad Yakubu, the Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, (NILEST), said relvead this in Abuja on Sunday.

“NILEST was set up to promote leather production as provided in the Agricultural Research Institute Act of 1975. The institute conducts research the production and products of leather and the utilisation of local tanning materials in the country.

Yakubu said “the litigation was necessary to revive the comatose leather industry in the country and said the habit of eating animal skin, which has no nutritional value, should be stopped to save the industry and boost the nation’s economy.

He added that the institute, in collaboration with stakeholders in the industry, would approach the national assembly and state governments to bring out legislation banning “ponmo” consumption.

Yakubu said, “to the best of my knowledge, Nigerians are the only people in the world that overvalue skin as food, after all, Ponmo has no nutritional value.

“At one point, there was a motion before the two chambers of the national assembly, it was debated but I don’t know how the matter was thrown away.

“If we get our tanneries, our footwear and leather production working well in Nigeria, people will hardly get pomo to buy and eat.”