The Federal Government on Friday warned Nigerians against the consumption of frozen chicken.

It stated that such processed chicken causes kidney and other diseases.

Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, told State House correspondents that the warning was given during a meeting with Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo held with the president of the Poultry Farmers’ Association of Nigeria Mr Ayoola Oduntan.

The minister noted that “Most times, they use what they use to preserve dead bodies (to preserve frozen chicken) and it causes harm to the kidney.”

Lokpobiri said the meeting specifically charged the Nigeria Customs Service to improve its surveillance in order to stop importation of frozen chicken.

On those hoarding maize, he said government will not buy from them.

“What we have is a programme that’ll deliberately grow more maize which will satisfy local and international markets.”

Lokpobiri said government had partly compensated poultry farmers whose farms were destroyed due to avian flu, adding that Osinbajo directed the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance to sort out the outstanding of N1.7 billion.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali.