In the city of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has underscored the urgency to intensify efforts in the campaign against drug hawking and the perils linked to using calcium carbide for fruit ripening.

Addressing attendees during the South-South zonal media sensitisation workshop titled "Dangers of Drug Hawking And Ripening Fruits with Calcium Carbide," Prof Moji Christiana Adeyeye, the Director General of NAFDAC, asserted that the practice of artificially ripening fruits with chemicals, which prevails in numerous fruit markets across Nigeria, has been responsible for a myriad of sudden health afflictions among the populace.

Represented by Dr Leonard Omopariola, Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Adeyeye called for amplified awareness campaigns to discourage such practices among consumers and urged fruit vendors to cease this hazardous practice due to its potential health risks.

"Numerous calls have been made by well-meaning Nigerians to implement stringent regulations to curb the perilous trend of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide. In addition, various national newspapers and non-governmental organizations have expressed concerns about the impending danger and health repercussions of these unethical activities carried out by certain unpatriotic and unscrupulous individuals in our nation."

Adeyeye noted that NAFDAC initiated awareness campaigns through media outlets since 2019, employing diverse methods such as enforcement through intelligence and raids on fruit markets where non-compliant products were confiscated and destroyed.

She revealed that the sensitisation workshop was part of her commitment to uphold and strengthen NAFDAC's ongoing collaboration with Health Journalists in Nigeria. This collaboration aims to mobilize, sensitize, and train journalists to contribute to the eradication of drug hawking and chemical fruit ripening.

"This workshop's inauguration today is once again in line with my pledge to continue and enhance NAFDAC's current partnership with the Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria. This collaboration is intended to mobilize, educate, and sensitize Nigerian journalists to play a pivotal role in our united efforts to eliminate the scourge of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide in Nigeria."

Adeyeye emphasized that fruit importers have taken measures to prevent the entry of artificially ripened fruits, which carry potential health hazards, into the country.

She urged law enforcement agencies, consumers, and healthcare professionals to intensify their efforts in battling drug hawking and unsafe fruit ripening to mitigate terminal diseases among Nigerians.

"The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has observed the perilous practice of selling and consuming artificially ripened fruits using calcium carbide, as well as the illegal hawking of drugs in the open market.

"The scourge of drug hawking presents a significant challenge to the healthcare delivery system in the country, highlighting NAFDAC's unwavering commitment to completely eradicate this illicit trade.

"Many drug hawkers, knowingly or unknowingly, act as merchants of death, subjecting essential and life-saving medicines to adverse weather conditions that degrade the active ingredients of the medicine, transforming them into poisons that jeopardize human lives," she emphasized.

Experts who delivered presentations at the workshop enumerated diseases associated with the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening, including cancer, hypertension, burning sensations in the chest, eyes, and stomach, as well as potential fatalities. They urged Nigerians to refrain from purchasing adulterated drugs and consuming fruits ripened using unsafe artificial methods to protect themselves from imminent life-threatening risks.