TheCable

Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development, on Thursday said ‘moi-moi’ becomes poisonous when prepared in cellophane (nylon) bags.

The minister made the disclosure in Abuja during a one-day public hearing on food security bill, organised by the senate committee on agriculture and rural development.

According to him, cellophane bags contain a large dosage of dioxins that are harmful to health.

He advised lovers of the delicacy to make use of leaves in the preparation rather than cellophane, adding that leaves do not contain such poisonous substance.

Ogbeh said beans and grains preserved with over dosage of pesticides by farmers and sellers had killed many unsuspecting Nigerians.

He also said the consumption of (pure) water in sachets exposed to sun at over 28 degree Celsius was poisonous and its consumption responsible for many cases of kidney and liver failure among Nigerians.

The minister said poorly boiled meat could cause tuberculosis.

Ogbe said the habit of over-boiling meat in Nigeria had helped to prevent tuberculosis infection from under cooked beef.

“Many of the cows being moved from one place to the other by herdsmen are already infected with tuberculosis,” he said.

“But our practice of boiling meat very well here has been the saving grace of people being infected with the deadly disease.”

Ogbeh added that smuggled frozen chicken preserved with formalin, a chemical commonly used in the preservation of corpses, posed a serious health challenge.

“The wrong application of fertiliser by farmers has also led to consumption of poisonous foods,” he said.

“Unknown to many farmers, there is specific fertiliser for specific crops in specific states in line with soil texture.”