September 13, (THEWILL) – Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s revelation that his wife took ill after eating fresh oranges that a laboratory test confirmed were not fit for consumption has further raised concerns about the source, handling, packaging and distribution of the produce that end up on the dining tables of millions of Nigerians.
No doubt, the personal touch by the professor of jurisprudence and his wife has added to the desired impact and urgency needed to move the authorities to act on this threat to the lives of Nigerians.
Indeed, local newspapers have written quite a lot about this worrisome matter before the Osinbajos’ experience and candid disclosure further enlightened the general public, particularly those who have seen the video posted by the former VP widely across social media handles.
Recently, the issue dealt with the treatment of poultry with vaccines that veterinarians and microbiologists verified are harmful for human consumption. Countless cases exit where fruits, tubers and vegetables are known to be dangerous for human consumption because they were either injected with substances or ripened with carbide. Currently, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, embarked on a nationwide crackdown of banned alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small glass bottles below 200 milliliters.
This is coming several months after the National Assembly passed laws banning the products, which NAFDAC clinically verified pose grave threats that endanger the youth, damage human organs and encourage social vices like banditry and other social vices.
In spite of the law which prohibits the production, importation, distribution and transportation, with fines or product seizures, permanent closure of businesses, retails shops, motor garages and markets across the country are still flooded with the banned products.
To underline the seriousness of the matter, the National Assembly that agreed with the NAFDAC directive to ban the alcoholic beverages in sachets limited the ban to alcoholic drinks like cheap gin, whisky and bitters; non-alcoholic goods like drinking water, juice and non-alcoholic malt are not affected by the policy. Yet, the business in the banned products is booming in total disregard of the law. This is unacceptable.
While we understand the human limitation and institutional capacity of NAFDAC to effectively enforce the ban, we urge other stakeholders line market associations, road transport workers union, the National Orientation Agency to join the regulatory agency in enforcing the ban on alcoholic drinks in sachet.
Similarly, relevant state agencies should embark on rigorous public enlightenment campaigns against adulterated food, insanitary habits by retail food vendors on the preservation and distribution of farm products. Shopping malls, where some of the harmful produce are supplied are becoming a fad in many urban centres across the country. They should also be properly monitored and their middlemen or major suppliers and supply units be kept under constant scrutiny.
Given our broken public health sector and the sharp practices of many private hospitals, it is only proper that the authorities should take a serious stand against these unscrupulous food vendors. It is far better to nip the unhealthy activities of food vendors in the bud than to wait for the to take it’s course in the event of death or an accident.
Culprits who profit from the ill-health of compatriots must be dealt with in the most indiscreet manner.
