The National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control has issued a warning to Nigerians about drug peddling and ripening fruits with calcium carbide.
NAFDAC stated that drug hawking and fruit ripening with calcium carbide are hazardous to public health.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, disclosed this in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, during the South-South zonal media sensitisation workshop on Dangers of Drug Hawking And Ripening Fruits with Calcium Carbide.
Adeyeye, who was represented by Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, stated that chemical fruit ripening has caused ailments in many Nigerians.
Adeyeye said, “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 organisations have raised concerns about the looming danger and health implications of these two nefarious activities by certain unpatriotic and unscrupulous citizens in our country.”
According to her, the sensitisation 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 DG stated, “The flag-off for this sensitisation workshop today is again a fulfillment of my promise to sustain and strengthen NAFDAC’s existing collaboration with the Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria towards mobilising, educating, sensitising, and conscientising 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.”
She said importers of fruits are checked to ensure that fruits ripened with chemicals are not brought into the country, and called on law agencies, consumers, and health workers to step up the campaign against drug hawking and fruits ripening with chemicals to check terminal diseases among Nigerians.
“The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control 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 medicines and turn them to poisons thus endangering human lives,” she said.
Experts presented papers at the workshop during which they listed cancer, hypo tension, burning sensation in the chest, eyes and stomach, and outright death as some of the consequences and diseases associated with the ripening of fruits with calcium carbide.
The experts warned Nigerians to desist from consuming such fruits to safeguard their health.