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| Prof Mojisola Adeyeye |
Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye has decried that many Nigerians died as a result of their consumption of processed food and fruits, as well as herbal medicine.
Noting that that processed food contained excess sugar, excess salt, excess monosodium glutamate, Adeyeye bemoaned that many Nigerians continued to kill themselves in their quest for sweet and seasoned food and fruits.
Adeyeye made these remarks when she led other state and zonal coordinators of NAFDAC on a courtesy call on Governor Seyi Makinde at Oyo governor’s office, Ibadan, on Monday.
She decried the failure of several Nigerians to give optimum attention to what the consume, while urging Nigerians to consume natural food for healthy living.
“Food security is extremely important to us. The natural food we eat contains a lot of natural bio-actives, antioxidants. But, many times we don’t pay attention to what we eat.
“We are blessed with a lot of vegetables, fruits in Nigeria but the processed foods or fruits are the ones that are killing us.
“Those processed foods or fruits contain excess sugar, excess salt, excess monosodium glutamate. In our foods, we claim that if we add a lot of seasoning, the husband will be happy.
“Rather, the husband will die quickly; it tastes very well but it sends the husband or the family to their early graves,” Adeyeye said.
Noting the unregulated efficacy claims of herbal medicine, Adeyeye further held that herbal medicine was also destroying the lives of Nigerians.
“We need help of governors to join hands with the federal task force to address the menace of falsified medicine, illicit drugs, including herbal medicine.
“You hear of one herbal medicine curing 200 diseases. Those herbal medicines are destroying our people. When you have people sell you a liquid herbal medicine, it is very likely it is a function of microbes because that person does not finish selling it in one day or one week. People drink this and if it is a child especially, that child may die,” Adeyeye added.
On efforts of the NAFDAC in drug control, Adeyeye described as baffling the fact that several young Nigerians destroyed their lives as a result of consumption of tramadol and codeine.
She particularly noted the discovery that several persons used by Boko Haram for bombing and other terrorist acts had ingested tramadol.
“I never knew I will come home and start battling tramadol and codeine, that has destroyed lives of so many youths.
“For the first five months of my assumption of office as NAFDAC DG, I was running after going back to the ports, and office of the National Security Adviser helped us. This is because we found out that the remains of our children that Boko Haram wrap explosives around to bomb contain tramadol. So, it is not just destroying the future, it is terrorism, destabilisation of communities.
“Nigeria can never be greater than its youths. If we don’t control youths’ access to drugs, we will not have tomorrow because drugs change the way brain works. And if the brain doesn’t function well, the home, workplace, church, mosque will not function well,” Adeyeye said.
Describing health as a key pillar of his administration, Governor Seyi Makinde assured of support for the effective functioning of NAFDAC in the state.
He noted that the support was imperative in view of the fact that an Inland dry port was set to be established in the state, with NAFDAC expected to be one the agencies at the port.
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