NAFDAC Flags Off Campaign against Drug Hawking, Ripening of Fruits with Carbide

•Agency waging social war, says Jimo

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday, said it has commenced a nationwide crackdown on hawkers of drugs, medicine and those engaged in ripening of fruits with calcium carbide.

The agency described the action of distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as armed bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and armed robbers.

Speaking at the opening of media sensitisation workshop on ‘Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Carbide,’ the Director General of NAFDAC, Adeyeye warned that henceforth anyone arrested for hawking of drugs would be prosecuted and jailed if found guilty.

She said NAFDAC enforcement teams across the country have been directed to move to the field to carry out surveillance and arrests of offenders.

She said NAFDAC has also commissioned a scientific research on possible ways of mitigating the health hazards of consuming fruits ripened with carbide.

“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, she said.

She said there had been concerns on the looming danger and health implication of the two nefarious activities by certain unpatriotic and unscrupulous citizens in the country.

According to NAFDAC DG, the agency had been conducting post-marketing surveillance on drugs and on-the-spot enforcement activities especially at various flash points.

She also said NAFDAC had taken decisive steps such as the sensitisation of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in fruit markets that have resulted in seizures and destruction of products.

According to Adeyeye, the flag – off of the sensitisation workshop yesterday, was a fulfilment of the agency’s promise to sustain and strengthen NAFDAC’s existing collaboration with Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria towards mobilising, educating, sensitising, and conscientise the media to continue to play frontline role to eradicate the menace of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with calcium carbide in Nigeria.

On the health hazard posed by artificial ripening of fruits, Adeyeye said calcium carbide was alkaline in nature and erodes the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region and disrupts intestinal functions.

She said consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in, “sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer.”

Other symptoms of poisoning according her, include diarrhoea (with or without blood), burning or tingling sensation in abdomen and chest difficulty in swallowing, irritation in eyes/skin, sore throat and cough, shortness in breathing, numbness.

While explaining the form of the illicit acts, Adeyeye said: “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 further explained that artificially ripened fruits are less juicy than when ripened naturally and have comparatively shorter shelf life.

The DG said the menace of drug hawking poses serious challenge to Healthcare Delivery System in the country hence NAFDAC’s resolve to totally eradicate the illicit trade.

“Most of the drugs sold by the illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of regulated medicines.

“Prescription drugs are also sold by the itinerant drug hawkers who also hold consultation, recommend and prescribe medicines to their gullible “patients.”

“Drug hawkers are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as armed bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and armed robbers. Drug hawkers constitute serious threat to our national security.

“Drugs are sensitive life-saving commodities which should not be sold on the streets/motor parks or open markets just like any other article of trade.

“I wish to warn that any drug hawker arrested by NAFDAC will be prosecuted, will face a jail term, and our enforcement officers are currently carrying out synchronised nation-wide operation. No offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the law.

“In this regard, we solicit the co-operation and support of all other law enforcement agencies, Nigerian journalists and well-meaning Nigerians in riding the country of this harmful and shameful practice.”

Director and Head of the Publicity at NAFDAC, Abubakar Jomo, likened the fight against drug abuse, adulteration and food poisoning to that of a social war.

NAFDAC’s Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mrs. Eva Edwards, who presented a paper on, “Food Safety Concerns and Unethical Practices,” said Africa has the highest incidence of food poisoning in the world with 91 million cases of food-borne diseases.

In Nigeria, she said though there was presently no accurate data on its impact, a good number of the citizens suffer from the hazardous impact of food poisoning practices in the country.