The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is soliciting the cooperation of stakeholders and the general public to rid the country of hazardous pesticides.
The agency’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said this in a statement issued to newsmen by its resident media consultant, Mr Olusayo Akintola, on Sunday in Abuja.
According to her, pesticides are applied both indoors and outdoors for the management of pests, vector-borne diseases, and for crop protection.
Adeyeye said pesticides are sometimes impregnated in textiles, paints, carpets, and treated wood to control pests and fungi.
She said what was worrisome was the toxicity associated with the misuse and abuse of pesticides as it affected food safety and food security.
Adeyeye said the dangers posed by pesticides were of immense concern to the agency and that there had been recent concerns from stakeholders about the situation.
“The report of the study conducted by Heinrich Boll Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, claimed that 40 per cent of pesticides used in Nigeria had been banned in the EU.
