Following the pronouncement of 10 people dead in Kano State after taking a fruit juice, Lagos State government has urged its residents to exercise caution in taking any fruit juice.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, while speaking on the development implored people to carefully check the expiry date of drink juice before consuming them.
He also urged the resident to ensure that their consumable products were certified by NAFDAC.
He said, “We have a consumer protection agency saddled with the responsibility of curbing fake products and prosecuting people selling such.
“People must watch out for expiry dates on the products they consume and they have to ensure that such products are NAFDAC approved.”
In the same development, the Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Public Health, Dr Siji Olamiju, has warned residents of the state not to consume drinks that are not known to them.
He said that the state officials in conjunction with NAFDAC staff in the state would inspect sale outlets to ensure that the said drink was not allowed in the state.
He said, “NAFDAC has spoken about the incident and it had made us understand that the ‘unidentified’ product was illegally smuggled into the country and by analysis and investigation, it is a substandard product.
“I want to advise all Nigerians, especially the residents of Osun, that they should be wary of new products. During this fasting period, people will be lured to take different types of juice to break their fast. They should take only those products they are familiar with.
“Another thing is that we have a very high population of northerners here, so there is a possibility of smuggling such drinks into the state.
“So, we are already working together with NAFDAC to give us the identity of that drink. So that we can work with the NAFDAC here to make sure that we check all the juice stores. With that, we won’t allow it at all in the state.
“We have to take responsibility for our health and we should be wary of what we drink in this period. I want to urge everybody to take it seriously. We will make sure the drink doesn’t get to Osun and if it is already here, we will knock it off with the assistance of NAFDAC in Osun.”