Killer Mosquito Coils

NIGERIANS woke up sometime ago, to read in the National Dailies, of the circulation of killer mosquito coils in our markets.

THE news of the killer coil was broken by the Birnin Kebbi State coordinator of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), Mr. Fraden Bitrus.

ACCORDING to reports, the NAFDAC boss identified the product as Goldeer Mosquito Coil. He told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that the coil was smuggled into the country from a neighbouring country.
OFFICIALS of NAFDAC were reported to have seized more than 694 packets of the killer coil from various supermarkets in the state and the Birnin Kebbi Central Market.

ACCORDING to Bitrus, the illegally imported Goldeer Mosquito Coil contains harmful chemicals which are injurious to human health.

ALTHOUGH no person has been apprehended over the sale and circulation of• the harmful mosquito coil, preliminary investigation by NAFDAC officials reveals that the product was smuggled into Nigeria from the neighbouring Niger Republic and distributed to retailers at various market points.

THE revelation of the presence of the killer mosquito coil has thrown up some issues which we think need to be addressed by the Federal government.

FIRSTLY, how did the killer mosquito coil find its way into the Nigerian market, beating all security network in place at our nation’s border posts?

THIS question is merely rhetorical because Nigeria’s borders are about the most porous in the world where just about anything can pass through.

WHILE The NIGERIAN OBSERVER will rely on the findings of NAFDAC in unraveling these questions, it is pertinent to mention that the illegal importation of Goldeer Mosquito Coil has again greatly exposed the security lapses at our nation’s border posts and by implication, our security agencies.

THE erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, in its bid to stem the illegal dumping of fake and substandard products in the country, reinvigorated the NAFDAC under the headship of Professor Dora Akunyili to check the influx of fake and sub-standard products into the country. That agency, has so far saved millions of Nigerians from the hands of shrewd and shylock businessmen, who take delight in making billions of naira at the expense of the lives of their fellow compatriots.

NIGERIA today, is ranked among countries that have battled the incidences of fake and sub-standard drugs and products to a reasonable level. This has been made possible by the doggedness and total commitment of the NAFDAC boss, Professor Dora Akunyili towards ensuring safe and standard product delivery to the country by the various international pharmaceutical companies.

THE importation of Goldeer Mosquito coil, therefore, The NIGERIAN OBSERVER believes, calls to question, the diligence, commitment and honesty of our security agencies like the police, Immigration, Customs etc. to effective policing of our international borders.

MUCH as we would not rule out corruption on the part of the security personnel attached to the border posts between Nigeria and Niger Republic through which the killer mosquito coil found its way into the Nigerian market, we dare say that the time has come for these security agencies to intensify their patrol network in and around the country’s border posts.

THIS is why The NIGERIAN OBSERVER would advocate for a thorough investigation into the security lapses culminating in the illegal importation of the killer mosquito coil, and the culprits brought to justice.

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