The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said the high rate of bleaching of skin among Nigerians deserves a call for a national emergency, saying reports show that 77 per cent of Nigerian women make use of skin bleaching creams.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye the development is capable of increasing the rate of cases of cancer in the country.
She said according to World Health Organization (WHO) study, Nigeria’s figure is the highest in Africa compared to 59 percent in Togo, 35 per cent in South Africa and 27 percent in Senegal.
“Last year, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha acting on the resolutions of the Senate wrote to NAFDAC stressing the need to take stringent regulatory actions to stem the dangerous tide of rampant and pervasive cases of Nigerians using bleaching creams,” she said.
“We immediately took some decisive steps such as sensitization of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in trade fair complexes that have resulted in large seizures and destruction of violative products…
“This sensitization workshop is a training the Trainers’ programme with the great expectation that participants will assume role of champions in the vanguard of the campaign against use of bleaching creams… It is imperative for me to warn that some of the harmful effects of bleaching creams include cancer, damage to vital organs of the body, skin irritation and allergy, skin burn and rashes, wrinkles, premature skin ageing and prolong healing of wounds.
“A World Health Organization (WHO, 2018) study revealed that use of skin bleaching creams was prevalent among 77 percent of Nigerian women which was highest in Africa compared to 59 percent in Togo, 35 per cent in south Africa and 27 percent women in Senegal.This scary statistic has shown that the menace of bleaching creams in Nigeria has become a national health emergency that requires a multi-faced regulatory approach…”