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Nigeria’s worsening food poisoning crisis has been linked to widespread gaps in farmer education and unsafe agricultural practices, according to agricultural expert and founder of Voice of the Farmers, Afeez Olumide Garuba.
His warning follows alarming figures cited by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, who disclosed that unsafe food contributes to over 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria, with about 50 million people affected by foodborne illnesses.
Speaking on Villa Square, a programme on Cr8tive 9ja aired on Mainland 98.3 FM Lagos and anchored by tourism journalist Frank Meke alongside Bunmi Bade-Adeniji, Garuba said the crisis reflects a dangerous national neglect of food safety systems.
He argued that public discourse in Nigeria remains heavily skewed toward food security—producing enough food—while ignoring food safety, which determines whether that food is fit for consumption.
“Food safety is from farm to table, but we are not treating it as such,” Garuba said. “Farmers, transporters, processors and regulators all have roles, but the weakest link is knowledge at farm level.”
He warned that improper use of fertilizers and pesticides is a major driver of contamination, especially in vegetables. According to him, many farmers ignore withdrawal periods—the mandatory time needed for chemicals to break down before harvest.
“Because of urgency and profit pressure, crops are harvested too early and rushed to market. Consumers end up ingesting chemical residues without knowing,” he said.
Garuba also raised concerns about livestock production, noting that animals are sometimes treated with drugs or chemicals without observing required withdrawal timelines before slaughter.
He stressed that these practices are not only a public health threat but also an economic loss to farmers, who often overapply chemicals in a bid to force faster growth.
To address the crisis, he called for coordinated nationwide farmer education campaigns, stronger extension services, and stricter enforcement of food safety regulations.
He cited the government’s “Four Rs” fertilizer guideline—Right source, Right time, Right place, Right rate—as a framework that must be widely taught and enforced.
Garuba urged government, NGOs, and industry stakeholders to treat food safety as a shared national priority, warning that failure to act could deepen public health risks.
He also cautioned against over-reliance on food imports, insisting Nigeria must build internal capacity for safe and sustainable food production.
