NATIONAL Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUBFTE), has raised alarm over attempts by some unscrupulous importers to flood the Nigerian market with harmful vegetable oil and related products before the coming Sallah and Christmas\New Year celebrations.

The union is calling on appropriate government agencies, especially the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to be on the alert and ensure that harmful vegetable oil and related products are not allowed to enter the Nigerian market because of their health implications.

In a chat with Vanguard, President of NUFBTE, Comrade Lateef Oyelekan called on government to place a total ban on the importation of vegetable oil and related products, arguing that Nigeria has the capacity to meet both the local need and Western African sub-region.

According to him, "we have it on good authority that some unscrupulous Nigerian businessmen and importers have imported harmful vegetable oil and other related products meant for the coming festive periods especially Sallah, Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

"We are using this opportunity to alert Nigerians and relevant government agencies to be on the look out for these items billed to arrive Nigeria before the coming Salla, Christmas and New Year's festivities.

"We are specifically calling on NAFDAC to be extra vigilant and save Nigeria the negative health implications of consuming harmful vegetable oil and related products once they are in the Nigerian market."

Information available to us has it that the imported vegetable oil is made from animals and is mostly used for cosmetics which is dangerous for human consumption. Our investigation has revealed that one of the health implications of the consumption of the vegetable oil, is cancer. We think it will all of us a lot of good if these products are prevented from entering Nigeria.

We do not need to import vegetable into this country because we have the capacity to produce not just the local need, but for entire West African sub-region. Nigeria's vegetable oil is quite different and health friendlier than the imported ones.

We commend the efforts of government and its agencies like NAFDAC in the battle to rid Nigeria of fake, adulterated and substandard products that are dangerous to health. But they need to double their efforts and vigilance in monitoring import of food, drugs and other consumables to Nigeria."

"We are calling on government to place a total ban on the importation of processed foods and other items that we have enough capacity to meet local demand. Vegetable oil is a typical example that government should ban. Government should do everything possible to encourage local production to boost the nation's drive towards industrialisation.

Thriving local production besides other things, will enhanced greater job opportunities for the teaming jobless Nigerians who now become willing tools for crimes. There is need for government to grant tax holiday to local industries till the power problem in the country is fixed because the power problem is the greatest threat to the nation's developmental agenda."