THE National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, rose from its meeting last week and noted with dismay the high prevalence of poisoned food in Nigerian markets.

The Council, comprising governors of the 36 states of the Federation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, declared through its spokesman, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State inter alia:

“We realised that some of the frozen chicken and fish imports into this country are being preserved with very dangerous chemicals. We are of the opinion that this should be looked into”. It cautioned the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to wake up to their responsibilities to prevent further dumping of rubbish on Nigerians by foreign manufacturers.

This is an obvious indictment of the two Federal agencies set up to protect Nigerians from the hazards of fake or adulterated consumable items made in Nigeria or abroad. The enabling laws setting up these bodies are clear on their mandates. The SON is empowered to ensure that items manufactured both in the country and abroad conform to the National Industrial Standards (NIS). NAFDAC, which was set up in 1993 under the Federal Ministry of Health, was specifically charged with standardising and monitoring the quality of food and drugs consumed in the country.

Both SON and NAFDAC are empowered to engage in pre-shipment inspection of all goods manufactured abroad, meant for the Nigerian market to ensure the safety of Nigerian consumers. They are also given the power to control the standard of goods made in Nigeria.

Yet, in spite of the huge amounts of money these agencies realise yearly in their operations, the Nigerian markets are the world’s most notorious dumping grounds for fake and substandard products. Due to the incompetence of these agencies, substandard foreign-made tyres for example, have sent thousands of Nigerians to their early graves. Buildings collapse as a result of fake steel products, while poor quality foreign-made electrical cables are chiefly responsible for fire outbreaks.

Over-dependence of Nigerians on foreign products has exposed them to the risk of foods preserved with dangerous chemicals, mainly from Asia. Nigerians are dying from cancers, kidney and other organ failures on an unprecedented scale because government agencies mandated to prevent these problems are not up to the task.

We call on the National Assembly to invite the heads of these agencies to a public hearing to explain their inability to handle this ugly situation, and recommend appropriate measures to make them more effective.

The Federal Government must act now and save the lives and property of Nigerians from fake manufactured goods.