‘De-emphasize the use of herbicides to kill grass’

A statement from the Head, (Press and Public Communications) EHORECON, Kehinde A. Openibo, said the Registrar, while fielding questions from journalists at the weekend in Abuja, said many people use herbicides to kill green vegetables which choke up their ability to absorb oxygen and thereby causing its inability to photosynthesize, which makes the leaves to dry up and die.
Mr. Ebisike stated that those chemicals must be used by trained professionals in the field to avoid health implications on the population who will use those vegetables planted on such soil or land because the chemical residues are absorbed by the plant.
He bemoaned a situation where anybody could go to the market to sell or by chemicals, adding that the sales and distributions of chemicals such as herbicides should be controlled, saying “we should go back to the basics.”
The Registrar, who acknowledged NAFDAC’s role in the control of some chemicals, also said the Federal Ministry of Environment has a chemical management unit in place where most of those chemicals are controlled, which is subject to international regulations under the convention that control some of the chemicals in which Nigeria was a signatory.
According to EHORECON boss, the inadequate control of the use of chemicals leads to the issue of acid bath because they are readily available, saying “Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria is not in charge of regulation and chemical control.”
He noted that there are so many illnesses associated with the improper use of chemicals. He cited the increased cases of cancer, saying though there were no known causes of cancer but indiscriminate use of these chemicals could be a contributing factor too.
Ebisike condemned the dumping of both bio-degradable and non bio-degradable waste, like banana peels and other items, together, saying the bio-degradable wastes like the banana peels would decay and be absorbed into the soil while the non-biodegradable waste like a crashed computer or cell phone battery will stay longer in the soil, adding that the resultant effect of the interaction might lead to plants absorbing certain chemicals that may not agree with our system when we eat food planted on such soil.
The Registrar, who however advised Nigerians on the use of chemicals, said if one must use chemicals, one must be well protected with personal protective equipment to avoid being harmed because a chemical that can kill weeds can actually kill human beings.