That I have not tasted alcohol is a complete lie and there is no iota of truth in me. Research have also shown that a little alcohol is not bad for the body but this is not that I am preaching that you should drink alcohol. To keep this straight, when I say alcohol, I mean wine and a little of beer not “ale”, that are produced and bottled by recognized and standard companies who put into place the necessary hygiene and good manufacturing practices and have the overall reputation of their companies to protect. They cannot afford to toil with people’s lives by mere negligence. You should by now be able to decipher the brands of alcohols or wines I am talking about.
Having said that, it is a complete shame to know that in a country where food and brewery processing professionals abound, there seem to be a rise in the proliferation and popularity of so many brands of alcohols that are far from meeting the requisite of proper alcohol production; yet, this poisons are sold in every nook and cranny of our country damaging the lives of people without them knowing. Sometimes, I wonder what National Agency For Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is doing.
In rivers state, just recently, it was reported that about 2 scores of people died mysteriously after consuming some quantity of local gin in a nearby local shop. According to PM news, the Director of the Department of Disease Control in the state, Dr. Roland Obed Whyte said there was a ban on these products and it was for the good of the locals who regularly take Ogogoro. The director said it would be difficult to get samples of the particular gin that was consumed through clinical analysis as youths of Woji community, where the incident happened had burnt the shop.
While one cannot convincingly say these deaths were caused by the concoction called Ogogoro or Kaikai as they are popularly called, it is becoming clearer that these products which are manufactured under unacceptable food processing conditions have been causing havoc to the health of many. Funny enough, they are unaware.
I do not know why people drink these brands of alcohol. Some claim it makes them high, others say it is a super enhancer for sex and other physical activities. Well, those are none of my concerns. But my brother, are these the reasons you have chosen to make these drinks your breakfast? A trip to major streets in Lagos, between 5am and 7am, You will sight tens of motor drivers and union members in different locations sipping the concoction as their breakfast. All it does is gradually damage their liver, kidney and stomach wall. No wonder many of them are ulcer patients with multiple skin diseases.
I have also come to realize that the consumption of these drinks are not only peculiar with transport workers etc, many educated people and professionals also secretly use them as enhancer to perform well at work, in bed and other duties. Many are constantly having headaches and some undescribable body reactions without knowing it is as a result of the poisons they had been funneling into their body system.
Many State Ministries of Heath are beginning to place a ban on these products as so many health concerns are associated with the consumption. An example is Ondo State Ministry of Health. It was also recorded that a similar incident which claimed lives of people happened in the state.
All these bitters and gins, in as much as one cannot say they should not be manufactured; the production and importation of theses drinks have to be monitored by appropriate authorities to ensure compliance to standard and avoid loss of life.
We have to protect Nigerians and those yet unborn. A ban on these product and a jail term for public sales will be a welcome development until government and agencies concerned come up with serious standards and procedures in which manufacturers of these products must adhere to in order to avoid further loss of lives as it has recently happened.
I STAND TO BE CORRECTED!
If you have had a terrible experience with any of these drinks, please share it.
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