The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned tanker drivers against using kerosene tankers to carry groundnut oil.

In a warning on Tuesday in Abuja, the NAFDAC boss, Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency had gotten information to that effect.

She gave the warning at the agency’s sensitisation campaign against substandard foods and drugs.

Represented by NAFDAC’s Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Ngozi Onuorah, she said, “Using kerosene tankers to load groundnut oil after emptying it is dangerous to public health.

“People do it to make money at the expense of public health. They cut corners, but NAFDAC is saying no to this.

“It is not permissible. If this is based on ignorance or it is an act of making money at the expense of Nigerians, it must stop.

“This is commonsensical. You don’t need a scientist to tell you that this is wrong,” she stated.

Ms Adeyeye noted that petrol and kerosene had chemical components, adding that people should not “be playing with an item that people consume.

“Even in our various homes, we cannot use the container for kerosene to fetch water to drink,” she said.

Ms Adeyeye called on Nigerians to be vigilant and report any driver indulging in the act to relevant authorities.

The NAFDAC boss also warned market women against using Azo-dye to make palm oil more reddish. She said this could cause cancer and damage to the body’s organs.

“We are drawing the attention of Nigerians so that they would be careful. When they see something that is too reddish, they must establish some level of suspicion,” Ms Adeyeye warned.