By Obinna Unaeze
Minna – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Niger has criticised what it described as unwholesome practices in Minna central market of Niger.
Mr Anikoh Ibrahim, the NAFDAC Coordinator in the state, said this on Wednesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.
Ibrahim said that the act, if not checked, would cause health hazards to unsuspecting consumers who purchase such items.
“Recently I saw canned gold plum (sweet corn) at one of the entrances at Engineer A.A. Kure ultramodern market, Minna, where children were picking the product without knowing they were expired.
“The following day when I went there with my staff to evacuate the product we did not find anything there.
“I am sure that some of the traders in the market are engaging in unwholesome practices,’’ he said.
He alleged that the items amounting to a pickup load must have been deposited by a trader from the market since it was left outside one of the gates.
The state coordinator of the agency said that the sweet corn weighing 350 grammes per can were produced in 2011 and expired in 2014.
He said that the agency has invited the leadership of the traders to discuss the development to enable the agency have access into the market for routine check in 2017.
“As from January 2017 NAFDAC will go after traders that are into unwholesome practices in the market,’’ he warned.
Responding, Alhaji Ado Garba, the Market Leader (Sarkin Kasuwa) told NAN that his office was not aware of any kind of unwholesome activity by the traders.
Garba who did not rule out unwholesome practices by some traders, however said that “there is no doubt that some of our traders here may be into some harmful practices but it has not come to our knowledge’’.
“We don’t know of such thing but we will check our traders, so it is a good development if NAFDAC will collaborate with us in that regard.
“When we see such things we will not compromise, we will call NAFDAC to do their job,’’ he assured.