I know that the dominant health topic right now is Coronavirus (or, if you prefer, Chinese Virus), but I feel compelled to draw attention to some egregious practises by some callous and cruel Nigerians that are destroying many lives in this country on a daily basis. These vile characters are able to inflict such heinous harm on unsuspecting Nigerians because the various regulatory agencies, such as the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration, and Control (NAFDAC) or the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), are either in deep slumber, sick and near death, or even dead and awaiting burial!
I believe that unless some far-reaching interventions are undertaken urgently, we cannot rule out the possibility that the rest of the world will wake up one day to find that this vast, unproductive territory known as Nigeria has devolved into a vast stretch of empty space devoid of humans or littered with decaying corpses? Is it that human life has since lost all value in the eyes of Nigerians, or what? How far should rational human beings go down the path of mutual annihilation before they realise it is time to reconsider, beat a retreat, and begin the homeward journey to self-reclamation?
Let me explain. Recently, a young Nigerian medical doctor issued a social media warning to Nigerians about these beverages, which are mostly prepared at home by various vendors and supplied to offices, business places, and at events to Nigerians who eagerly purchase them these days due to the growing emphasis on “natural drinks” as healthy alternatives to “machine processed” beverages, which have been established to contain very harmful (especially carcinogenic) chemicals. Some of the sodas (or “minerals” as they are known in Nigeria) that people enjoy drinking are simply concoctions of carbonated water, flavours, colorings, and a lot of sugar or sweeteners.
A growing number of Nigerians are becoming aware that sugar, amino acids, and fats in the body provide rich food for cancer cells, and that their growth may be halted if they can no longer find any of these to feed on. But, more specifically, too much sugar (especially processed sugar) accelerates the onset of diabetes and its disastrous consequences. This awareness appears to be reducing the seductive capacity of the usually attractively packaged concoctions known as “fruit juice” sold in our supermarkets.
As a result, “natural drinks” such as “Zobo,” “Kunu,” or various mixtures of juices extracted from tigre nuts, dates, or various types of fruits have grown to become popular among many Nigerians. Because of their growing popularity, many restaurants now produce them or work with producers to ensure they have enough supplies of these “natural drinks” to meet the growing demand from their customers.
The young doctor’s concern is not even the mostly unregulated nature of their productions, which are most likely prepared in very unsanitary environments with largely contaminated water (judging by simply looking at many of the people who produce and market them). His main concern is with the plastic bottles in which these drinks are stored and sold.
These people go to all sorts of places to collect these bottles that people had discarded after drinking the water they once contained. Many of the bottles came from hospitals and were mostly used by patients. Many of these patients are battling terrible infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and others, and after drinking the water, several of them keep the bottles for a while and spit into them whenever the disease requires it. There are also patients who are too weak to use the restrooms and must urinate into these bottles. At the end of the day, these are disposed of in hospital dustbins (where other disease-carrying unmentionables are also thrown), from which cleaners retrieve them, pour away the various liquids they see inside them, and sell them to these “natural beverage” producers, who may only rinse them with the unhealthy water available to them and use them to bottle the “Zobos,” “Kunus,” and the diverse “natural” fruit juices they bottle and sell to unsuspecting Ni
Now, if companies subject to periodic inspections by regulatory agencies can be caught cutting corners to the detriment of the citizenry’s health, what should one expect from people who produce these beverages in the safe confines of their homes and whose eyes are solely glued to the profits they expect to reap? So, for N100 or less, you buy and bring home disease-bearing liquids in unsterilised bottles, from which you may contract ailments that will either take your life or consume millions of naira before leaving you. Now, while you’re chewing on that, consider another aspect of the problem.
I recently read that a Lagos-based journalist became ill after eating some fruits purchased from vendors. He was taken to the hospital and died there. The doctors blamed the death on food poisoning. It is widely held in Lagos that traders use chemicals (calcium carbide and others) to ripen fruits or even keep them from spoiling. According to a Wikipaedia entry, “when calcium carbide comes into contact with moisture, it produces acetylene gas, which is quite similar in its effects to the natural ripening agent, ethylene.” Acetylene mimics ethylene and accelerates the ripening process.”
Have you ever noticed that after eating certain fruits – banana, mango, pawpaw, etc. – you get this strange, unpleasant taste in your throat? That’s the aftertaste of the chemical used to hasten the ripening or preserve the fruits. And they could be extremely hazardous to one’s health. For wary consumers, the best alternative has been to go to some markets where local farmers supply these fruits, buy unripe ones, take them home, and keep them until they become naturally ripe and ready for consumption.
Nigeria is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of organ failure, cancer, and other malignant ailments afflicting both young and old people. These have largely been attributed to the chemicals that people consume while eating these fruits and other food items. Now, who among our health bodies and regulatory agencies is trying to find out if there is a proliferation of these harmful practises by fruit sellers (as widely believed) and is deploying preventive measures to save Nigerians’ lives? A video of a girl peeling unripe oranges went viral recently. After removing the outer coverings, the girl would dip them into some liquid in a basin, and the oranges would instantly turn the colour of ripe ones? Who knows how much poison was transferred into the oranges in the process?
There are other forms of these dangerous practises. Recently, a video circulated on social media showing some bean sellers (heard discussing in Hausa) spraying the Sniper brand of pesticide on the beans they had spread on large mats, possibly to prevent weevils from attacking them. Sniper is widely recognised as one of the most lethal pesticides on the market today. Most of the recent cases of suicides reported in Nigeria revealed that the majority of those involved had used it to end their lives, prompting calls for it to be banned in the country.
Now, how can humans use the same lethal poison to protect a favourite food item from weevil infestation? How far will Nigerians go to sell poisoned food items in order to make huge profits? What are the authorities and regulatory agencies doing about it? Have they investigated it, and what are they doing to discourage this risky method of preservation? Or would they continue to pretend that the viral videos had not reached them? Shouldn’t the perpetrators of these criminal activities be apprehended and charged with attempted murder as a deterrent? By the way, what healthy alternatives have the authorities offered to grain traders for the preservation of their goods, given that these individuals may be completely unaware of the many lives they are destroying, including their own, because they eat from their stock of commodities?
Several months ago, social media was flooded with reports that dried fish sellers also use this Sniper to prevent weevil infestation of their fish. What is being done now to save the eager consumers of this popular food item? There is also information trending on social media that people use a mixture of transformer oil and vegetable oil to fry “Akara,” “Puff-puff,” Yam, and other foods for sale, while butchers and fish sellers use Sniper to keep flies away from their wares.
On January 10, 2020, the Nigerian Tribune published an editorial on the alleged warning issued by the Osun State Government to caterers and food vendors involved in the “pernicious practise of using paracetamol to [boil and] tenderise meat and using bleaching detergents for cassava processing, ostensibly to induce whiteness in the popular foods, fufu and gari.” According to the Tribune, at a joint news conference in Oshogbo, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Public Health, SijiOlamiju, and the state Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, emphasised the “harmful effects of the practises on vital organs of the body such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and small intestines.”
With all of these hazardous situations confronting unsuspecting Nigerians, where are our public health authorities? Where are NAFDAC and SON? According to popular belief, NAFDAC died with Dr. Dora Akunyili. And as for SON, I’m not sure anyone has ever taken them seriously. What exactly does the Consumer Protection Council do to justify its existence? How does it “protect” the consumer?
Not long ago, I came across a news item in which the Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration, and Control, Prof. MojisolaAdeyeye, warned about the serious harm that fruits ripened with calcium carbide could cause to people’s health. What are Nigerians supposed to do with this vacuous warning? Do they have the equipment to detect fruits ripened by calcium carbide? Shouldn’t NAFDAC be on the lookout for those involved in this heinous practise and prosecuting them to deter others and save Nigerian lives? How exactly will this meaningless warning help save Nigerian lives?
In societies where human lives are valued, regulatory agencies do not simply sit behind their massive desks and issue pointless warnings. They spring into action to put an end to any practise that endangers the lives of the citizens. They prosecute the perpetrators in order to deter others. What do you expect from a country where herdsmen wake up almost daily to kill, maim, rape, and sack villages without consequence? And the authorities do nothing to ensure they are punished for their crimes. Is Nigeria the land of rational human beings? What a travesty!
