Wetin dey sup for Lagos wey dey make people dey fear chop pepper? E be say dem don discover say pepper wey dem dey grind for obodo Lagos get serious wahala. I no go lie, this matter serious no be small. I dey talk about the locally made metal grinding machine wey they use to process food like pepper, beans, and maize, and wetin dem find no be joke.

Our people, Ibrahim Adam, don waka for different markets across Lagos, go buy small quantities of fresh pepper wey dem grind. When dem carry the samples go lab for analysis, the results comot come display big wahala: dem find iron and zinc wey pass normal level. This one fit cause health risk for anybody wey dey chop dat pepper wey no sabi. Iron and zinc fit do serious damage to organ if person dey consume am for long.

One Lagos resident, Hadi Yusuf, don dey live for Lagos for years, and he don sabi say food safety no be play matter. He don tell him wife to no blend pepper outside again with those metal machines. Na him con talk say, “I no fit trust wetin dem don grind before my own pepper.” Hadi dey fear after he see as e old machine dey operate.

Another person wey dey share him own experience na Sani Shuaib. As he come back house one day, him see black particles for the surface of ground beans wey him wife buy. E no sharp him well, so he follow the woman go the vendor shop, and the woman confess say na dirt from the machine. After that, him dey ensure say him wife no go buy anything from street vendors again.

Roberta Edu-Oyedokun wey run Moppet Foods, too don run into trouble. She dey produce peanut cereal for di pikin dem, but when she carry am go test for lab, e show say the product get iron filings wey dey high. She waste money, N400,000, to build the machine, but she don dump am quickly. She switch back to normal blender, and the problem clear.

This matter no just affect individuals o. Iya Lisa, a veteran grinding vendor wey dey sell for Idi Araba, talk say she dey maintain her machines well, but poor maintenance fit still cause contamination. Sef, when we go market, we go see how many people dey gather for front of her shop, but dem don start to dey question the safety of wetin dem dey grind.

Medical experts don raise alarm say the health implications no be small. Long-time exposure to these heavy metals fit lead to serious issues like kidney damage, liver problems, and even cancer. Dem talk say, “Even small children and pregnant women dey at risk.” Dem go dey sound warning say, “This grinding machine no be food-grade.”

To make matter worse, NAFDAC don disown these manual grinding machines, say dem no fit allow them because of the risk dem dey pose. The agency dey emphasize say all production processes must dey automated to avoid contamination. Abeg, how many people for Nigeria go fit buy these expensive machines? That wan na serious question.

Some vendors don begin dey use stainless steel machines wey no dey discharge metals into food. James Sanni, one of dem, talk say dem dey produce safe machines wey NAFDAC don approve. But despite that, many still dey use these old metal models wey dey cause problem fry pepper.

As e be now, na we dey see say contamination no be local issue again. E spread across Lagos like wild fire. I no fit emphasize enough how many market stalls dey churn out unsafe food wey fit harm people. E good make every Lagosian dey careful and dey check wetin dem dey chop, because dem no fit continue dey dey gamble with their health.