The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned that it would clamp down on drug hawkers nationwide, warning that any hawker arrested by the agency will not only be prosecuted but will also face a jail term if convicted.
Also, the Agency has said it would no longer be ‘business as usual’ for those ripening fruits artificially with calcium carbide, which is dangerous to health.
Announcing these in Lagos, during a sensitisation workshop on Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Carbide” the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Christianah Adeyeye said the agency’s enforcement officers are currently carrying out synchronised nationwide operations.
She maintained that no offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the Law.
Represented by the Director, Chemical Evaluation & Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola, she explained that the menace of drug hawking poses a serious challenge to Healthcare Delivery System, hence the need to totally eradicate the illicit trade.
Ädeyeye explained that many drug hawkers are knowingly or unknowingly merchants of death who expose essential and lifesaving medicines to unsafe weather which degrades the active ingredients of the medicine and turn them to poisons thus endangering human lives.
She said: “Most of the drugs sold by the hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirements of regulated medicines. Prescription drugs are also sold by the itinerant hawkers who also hold consultation, recommend and prescribe medicines to their gullible “patients”.
She added that drug hawkers are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as Armed Bandits, Insurgents, Kidnappers and Armed Robbers and constitute a serious threat to national security.
Adeyeye who also raised the alarm about the indiscriminate ripening of fruits with calcium carbides by many fruit sellers in Nigeria, added that the Agency has deployed a multifaceted approach to tackle the menace.
“Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health.
“You can identify such artificially ripened fruits if you notice that the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, this is true especially with banana and plantain. In addition, naturally ripened fruits usually have brown or black spots, while those artificially ripened have traces of powdery substances and peel off quickly.”
She traced effect of artificial ripening on fruit quality to include considerable loss of properties such as colour, taste and feel, and natural aroma and flavour.
Adeyeye explained that artificially ripened fruits generally contain impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that pose several serious health hazards, adding that their consumption contain impurities that may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure.
“They may also cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer and so forth. Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs. Acetylene produced by calcium carbide affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain and further induces prolonged hypoxia.
“The impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure etc. Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer.”
