By Joy Odor
The Acting Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Monica Eimunjeze has affirmed the readiness of the Agency to begin full scale enforcement on illegal manufacturers and sellers of harmful bleaching cream in Nigeria.
She also vowed that unregistered stores and markers of bleaching creams, who use unapproved and use dangerous chemicals and formulas for cream would receive full prosecution of the law.
The NAFDAC Acting Director-General made the vow in welcome address at a one day Media Sensitization Workshop on Dangers of Bleaching Creams and Regulatory Controls organized by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for Association of Nigerian Health Journalists (ANHEJ) on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to her, the efforcement is sequel to an order from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) following a motion raised by Senator Remi Tinubu on the floor of the Senate to urge NAFDAC to wake up to its responsibility to protect Nigerians against harmful cosmetics on Tuesday, February 16, 2021.
Senator Tinubu told NAFDAC to take responsibility for regulation of the formulation, importation, sales and distribution of harmful and dengerous cosmetics, especially bleaching cream within Nigeria.
“I am expressing concern with the proliferation of small and medium enterprises and businesses that have flooded the Nigerian market with beauty products whose production are not well-regulated.
“Products used for skin lightening are not indicating ingredients, or expiry dates to enlighten users of their content” Tinubu lamented.
Dr. Monica shortlisted the effects of the deadly products to include: aging, kidney, nervous system, cancers, skin infections, increase dependence on the creams, and unwanted and untreatable discolouration.
” Let me make it clear to you now, we will be moving to full scale enforcement to eradicate Nigeria harmful chemicals and We have Nigerians on notice.
“Enforcement will commence in cosmetic stores because you walk into a cosmetic store and you will see prescription medicines offered up for sale as cosmetics.
‘’There are those that sit and mix, and it is usually a cocktail of products, and usually they are not ready to disclose what is inside – that is the problem.
“Most times, it is a mixture of a steroid or two, a chemical or two which you do not know. There is also a base lotion which is usually innocuous, there are lightening, whitening and glowing products that have regulatory approval.
“What we are talking about are those products that do not have any regulatory approval. This is because we cannot speak to what is in the product” she stressed.
