National Agency For Food, Drugs Administration and Control-NAFDAC says public awareness campaign is key to ensuring health of the Nigerian citizens.
Director General of the Agency, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye stated this at the Flag off of a sensitization campaign and Public awareness on the danger of drugs abuse in the country held in Sokoto state.
The Director General who was represented by the Director North west zone of the Agency, Pharmacist Dauda Gimba, said a well informed, sensitized citizens are the bedrock for achieving healthy society in the country.
She explained that the event is another major milestone in the Agency’s bid to protecting Nigerians against the harmful effects of unhealthy and poisonous food, falsified medical products, Harmful Cosmetics, Poor Water and other Substandard regulated products .
According to her, the key objective of the sensitization programme was to intensify and expand the scope of informal and formal behavioural change and communication strategies with a view to reaching the vulnerable communities at the grassroots.
The NAFDAC DG further disclosed that dissemination of information on Food and Drug safety is the major and important aspect of the Agency’s regulatory mandate .
According to her, Nigeria is one of the most affected countries in the world on the use of falsified medical products and poisonous food worldwide.
She emphasized that, the Sensitization campaigns would contribute significantly to the Federal Government’s quest for sensitizing, educating and alerting the general public on the inherent dangers of intake and use of counterfeit regulated products .
Prof Mojisola Adeyeye noted that the campaign is centered on the Dangers of buying medicines from hawkers, used of potassium bromate to bake bread and the use of Azo- dyes in Palm oil which causes cancer.
Others are Dangers of using Sniper to preserve food or to keep flies away from meat, Low level of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice by Lactating Mothers and its associated health hazards, wrong use of pesticides and insecticides, wrong use of chemicals and its hazardous effects among others.
She added that, the targeted audiences were Market Women and Men, Road Transport Workers and Employers, Community Youth Organisations and Students.
NASIR MALALI