By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists, ANHEJ have jointly lamented skin bleaching pandemic and declared war on skin bleaching in Nigeria.
Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Dr.Monica Eimunjeze made this pronouncement yesterday in Abuja at a Flag- off of a Nationwide Media- Sensitization Workshop on Dangers of Bleaching Creams and Regulatory Controls organised by NAFDAC with the Association of Nigerian Health Journalists, ANHEJ, and vowed that henceforth, there will be massive enforcement to ensure cosmetics products are safe for human use.
Eimunjeze decried the trend of skin bleaching cut across gender, race, religion and geopolitical zones and called for urgent intervention.
She said,”The proliferation of skin Bleaching creams and products in the country has assumed an alarming proportion to the detriment of the majority of the unsuspecting Nigerians.”
“The media should take the front seat in the campaign against skin Bleaching pandemic by providing Nigerians with the right information to make right decision about safeguarding their health”.
“We need to deal with the way people perceive things in Nigeria that fair people are more beautiful and attractive than black ones, we have come to accept it culturally. We know people have choices but they should make choices that would not be injurious to their body. “
“Organic products are better than synthetic products maybe not. We have organic plus, it happens in different spheres. That they do not harm is not a statement of fact, there are some that can kill instantly.”
We will be moving into full time enforcement, we had some operations in the past. People should understand why we are doing this is to safeguard them. Ignorance of the law 8s not an excuse, we will carry out enforcement when your products are against our mandate, she warned.
Speaking on the ‘Overview of Skin bleaching: The NAFDAC Perspective’, Mrs Anto Ebele said the skin lightening industries is one of the fastest growing businesses in Nigeria, adding that WHO Report reveled that over 77% of the population practice skin bleaching.
She however blamed the high rate of Bleaching among Nigerians on the nation’s porous boarders without enough staff to man them.
While extending a warm welcome to the participants, the Agency’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, expressed his satisfaction with the Federal Government’s concern over the harm caused bleaching creams, which prompted a nationwide media sensitization campaign and regulatory measures.
Jimoh took advantage of the chance to urge the media to take the initiative in the effort to help Nigeria eradicate the bleaching plague since they are the ideal vehicle and conveyor belt for evidence-based information.
