The National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) has stressed the need to increase the tempo of the campaign against drug hawking and the dangers of using calcium carbide to ripen fruits.
Speaking, during the South-South zonal media sensitisation workshop on ‘Dangers of Drug Hawking And Ripening Fruits with calcium carbide’, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Moji Christiana Adeyeye said fruit ripening with chemicals, prevalent in many fruit markets across Nigeria is caused of many sudden health conditions among Nigerians.
Adeyeye who was represented by Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research Dr Leonard Omokpariola, called for more campaign measures against such practices among consumers and urged fruit sellers to discontinue the practice due to its health-related dangers.
“There have been clarion calls by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to take stringent regulatory actions to stem the dangerous tide of ‘Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide’.
“In addition, several national dailies and non-governmental organizations have raised concerns on the looming danger and health implication of these two nefarious activities by certain unpatriotic and unscrupulous citizens in our country,” she said.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC commenced some sensitisation exercises through the media in 2019 using different outlets such as enforcement through intelligence and raids in fruit markets where violative products were seized and destroyed.
She disclosed that the sensitization workshop was in fulfillment of her promise to sustain and strengthen NAFDAC’s existing collaboration with Health Journalists in Nigeria towards mobilisation, sensitisation and training of Journalists to play a role in the eradication of drugs hawking and ripening of fruits with chemicals.
“The flag–off for this sensitization workshop today is again a fulfilment of my promise to sustain and strengthen NAFDAC’s existing collaboration with the Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria towards mobilizing, educating, sensitizing, and conscientizing Nigerian Journalists to play a frontline role in our concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide in Nigeria.”
The Director General said importers of fruits have checked to ensure that false fruits ripened through chemicals with attendant health hazards are not brought into the country.
She, therefore, urged law enforcement agencies, consumers and health workers to step up the campaign against drug hawking and false fruits ripening to check terminal diseases among Nigerians.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has noticed the dangerous practice of sale and consumption of fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide as well as illegal hawking of drugs in the open market.
“The menace of drug hawking poses a serious challenge to Healthcare Delivery System in the country and this underscored NAFDAC’s resolute determination to totally eradicate the illicit trade.
“Many drug Hawkers are knowingly or unknowingly merchants of Death who expose essential and Life Saving Medicines to the vagaries of inclement weather which degrade the active ingredients of the medicine and turn them to poisons thus endangering human lives,” she stressed.
Experts who presented papers at the workshop listed diseases associated with the ripening of fruits with calcium carbide including cancer, hypertension, burning sensation in the chest, eyes, stomach and outright death.
They warn Nigerians to stop patronizing howled drugs as well as consuming fruits ripened in unsafe artificial methods, to save their lives from imminent life-threatening issues.
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