The Abakaliki poisonous rice

On Tuesday, the Ebonyi state Government ordered the immediate closure of the popular Abakaliki Rice Mill following the discovery of adulterated rice believed to have emanated from the factory.
It instantly ordered investigations into the development.
However, the mill was reopened 48 hours later after it was discovered that some traders in the rice market in the town had re-bagged the commodity with a mix of adulterated rice and put them out for sale to unsuspecting members of the public.
The shops where the poisonous rice was discovered were shut down and the chairman of the Abakaliki Millers Association, Joseph Ununu, was suspended as a result of the discovery.
The action of the traders is condemnable coming at the time Nigerians were being encouraged to patronise home-made products.
They should be treated not only as economic saboteurs but also as murderers.
The Abakaliki development is coming on the heels of the recent alarm raised by the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service to the effect that Nigerians should be wary of buying any kind of rice because poisonous bags of the commodity had flooded the market, requiring emergency response from relevant regulatory and law enforcement agencies.
The command confirmed that some unpatriotic Nigerians have conspired with a clique of importers to smuggle, through land borders, expired and deadly bags of rice into the country.
Hundreds of bags of rice said to be deadly, seized by men of the command, were paraded before newsmen.
Area Comptroller of the Command, Udo-Aka Emmanuel, who made the observation at a press briefing in Ibadan, said the expired products were brought into the country every day, adding that its consumption is dangerous to health.
Blueprint Weekend is appalled by the massive importation of food most of them unfit for human consumption especially rice, wheat, sugar and fish.
Characteristically, rice is the staple food for most homes in Nigeria probably because of its relatively low cost, high calorie density, long shelf life and strong nutritional qualities.
The federal government has expressed determination to end the importation of food items that could be grown locally and save the country the massive depletion of her foreign reserves.
We commend its determination in this regard.
However, it is sad to note that Nigerians now have to contend with imported and local poisonous rice.
This is quite unacceptable.
We call on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which is the government regulatory body responsible for the regulation and control of food product manufacturing, importation, exportation, advertisement, sale and distribution in Nigeria, to be more proactive and vigilant in the discharge of its statutory mandate.
Other regulatory and enforcement agencies like the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), among others, should rise to the challenge of policing our borders and preventing miscreants and other criminals from perpetrating unwholesome practices that are injurious to our economic and human wellbeing.
In the meantime, we call for a declaration of emergency aimed at identifying, mopping up and destroying all the imported poisonous rice in Nigerian markets.
The Nigerian consumers must heed the warning of the Customs Service and be wary of imported rice.
Nigerians should not risk their lives as a result of what they eat.
We commend the Ebonyi state Government for swiftly addressing the infraction at the rice market in the town… the pre-eminent cultivator of the product in the country.
Also, the adulterators of the product should be severely sanctioned to serve as deterrent to their ilk that may not have been unmasked.
Their action is capable of frustrating the federal government’s drive to make the country less dependent on foreign rice which has constituted a huge drain on our foreign exchange earnings for decades.