Health authorities should do well to investigate the cause of death
The death of four members of the same family in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State after allegedly consuming a local delicacy identified as Amala (cassava flour), deserves a thorough investigation by health authorities. Following the death of the family’s dog that also consumed the same food, concerns over possible contamination or poisoning have heightened. Although Governor Usman Ododo has reportedly ordered an investigation, similar incidents in the past have yielded no results, as many Nigerians increasingly die from what ought to sustain and indeed, keep them alive.
Cassava-based dishes are widely consumed in Nigeria, and indeed in many places in Africa, as in South America, where it is a major source of carbohydrates. They are by far the commonest meals, with popular appeal to the poor. But, according to experts, cassava has one major drawback: the roots and leaves of poorly processed cassava plants contain a substance named Linamarin which when eaten is converted to cyanide, a poisonous gas which could be fatal when inhaled or ingested. Across the country, there are growing incidents of deaths resulting from eating some cassava-based meals.
The processing of cassava often employed by the traditional methods and rural women (by crushing, soaking in water to ferment and baking) is said to be good enough to effectively contain the toxic content found in cassava, whether of the sweet or bitter variety. But these days, many producers adopt short-cut processing techniques, which turn out to endanger many lives. In some cases, particularly those with high cyanide level, mere exposure to the volatile substances while being processed can cause some health disorders. The poor preparation of cassava meals, experts have repeatedly warned, can leave enough of Linamarin to cause acute intoxication, goiter and in some cases death. The most endangered are people already malnourished as they lack the proper mix of amino acids which are vital ingredients in detoxifying the poison.
In recent times, there have been calls on the need to set standards for tolerable levels of cyanide in cassava-related foods. But there are also counterarguments that such a measure is needless because it will be difficult to enforce. Cassava has been a staple food in Nigeria for a long time. To that extent, experts agree that the present mode of processing cassava for any of its varieties- gari, amala, fufu, tapioca, etc., are good enough to reduce the harmful cyanide content to a below toxic level. What the authorities can do, perhaps, is a campaign to sensitise the producers to take more time in processing their cassava meals.
The issue of food safety has for several years posed a daunting challenge in Nigeria hence an urgent need for strict compliance with laws on food preservation. For instance, experts have identified improper use of agro chemicals and pesticides on grains as one of the causes of the rising cases of food poisoning. The consumption of food grains that have been laced with pesticides by vendors to preserve their shelf life and protect them from destruction by pests puts many people at risk of gastro-intestinal disorders and some types of cancers.
Over the years, hundreds of families have perished after the consumption of contaminated food items either at home or at parties. Since the causes of many of these deaths were never accurately determined, it is becoming increasingly clear that some of them could have been caused by food poisoning. It is therefore important to ensure that the food we put on the table meets certain minimum standards. Given the alarming rate at which people, including sometimes a whole family, eat cassava-related food and die, there is an urgent need for a proper investigation of the tragedy in Kogi State.