The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), condemned on Monday, the use of calcium carbide for ripening of fruits.
Calcium carbide, scientifically labelled CaC2, serves primarily in industry for the manufacturing of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.
Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, made this declaration while inaugurating the NAFDAC Media Sensitization Workshop on the Hazards of Drug Hawking and the Use of Calcium Carbide for Fruit Ripening in Lafia, Nasarawa State. Who was represented by Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr Leonard Omokpariola
“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.
“In addition, several national dailies and non-governmental organisations have raised concerns about the looming danger and health implications of these two nefarious activities by certain unpatriotic and unscrupulous citizens in our country,” she said.
Dr. Leonard Omokpariola emphasised that the initiation of the sensitization workshop marked the realisation of her commitment to reinforce and enhance NAFDAC’s ongoing partnership with the Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria.
This collaboration aims to engage, educate, raise awareness, and empower Nigerian journalists to take a prominent role in collective endeavours to eliminate the issues of drug hawking and the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening in the country.
Adeyeye added that the menace of drug hawking posed a serious challenge to the healthcare delivery system in the country, which underscored NAFDAC’s resolute determination to totally eradicate the illicit trade.
“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 into poisons, thus endangering human lives.
“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 requirements of regulated medicines,” the NAFDAC boss said.
