By Dipo Olowookere
The election of association of butchers in Yola, Adamawa State on Saturday caused scarcity of fresh meat in the city, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The butchers did not slaughter any animal on that day because they were holding election at Lamido Cinema into various executive offices.
It is believed that over 150 cattle, goats and sheep are slaughtered daily at the Yola abattoir.
But the exercise left residents of Yola looking for meat to buy, which reportedly turned to a blessing for fish sellers in the city on Saturday.
Some of the residents expressed displeasure over this and appealed to the butchers to always carry them along in the future.
They said though the butchers had the right to elect those to lead them, but a proper public sensitisation would have gone a long way to reduce the meat scarcity suffered on Saturday.
It was gathered that those mostly affected were civil servants, who wait till Saturday to go to market to buy food items.
But one of the butchers, Mr Ali Musa, who told NAN that they placed high premium on the election, promised that going forward, the association would involve the media to sensitise the public of such decision.
“We are sorry about the inconveniences caused by this development and will try to avoid it next time,” he said.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka