By Zayamu Hassan
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has began a sensitization campaign, to sensitise Nigerians on the dangers of falsified medical products and unwholesome foods,
Health Reporters learnt that the campaign which will begin in eight states of the federation, will be piloted in the selected states of Lagos, Kaduna and Kano starting from August to September, 2021.
Speaking at the formal launch of the sensitization campaign, Abuja, the Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye said the initiative was aimed at protecting Nigerians against the effects of practices that are detrimental to their well-being.
“It is our expectation that at the end of the campaigns, the participants and target audiences would become dependable partners and allies of NAFDAC and be in the forefront of sustaining the public awareness campaigns by disseminating the information and messages to the grassroots.
“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the various communities take ownership of the care and management of their own health,” she noted.
Prof. Adeyeye further explained that the key objective of the sensitization programme is to intensify and expand the scope of the informal and formal behaviour change communication strategies in order to reach the vulnerable communities especially at the grassroots.
She added that the Dissemination of Food and Drug safety information is an important aspect of the regulatory work of the agency.
“It is common knowledge that Nigeria has a preponderant share of the global problem of falsified medical products and unwholesome food.”
These Campaign themes, she explained, will address public health challenges including dangers of buying medicines from hawkers.
She said: “Patients are to buy medicines from only licensed pharmacies and medicine stores; abuse of Codeine and self-medication especially among youths; the dangerous effects of using Kerosene tanker to load groundnut oil and the dangerous practice of using potassium bromate to bake bread.
“Others include the use of Azo-dyes in Palm oil which causes cancer; dangers of using Sniper to preserve any type of food or to keep flies away from meat; dangers of transfat and consumption of excessive oil; use of formalin on food and its associated health hazards and low level of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice by Lactating Mothers and its associated health hazards.”
