Insecurity in Nigeria

This study investigated the influence of grinding fineness on heavy metal leaching across seven common food matrices-melon, tomatoes, pepper, white and yellow corn, beans, groundnut, and crayfish-using both household and industrial tools. Samples were processed at two fineness levels (coarse and smooth), and analyzed for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). Results showed that smooth grinding consistently produced higher Fe and Zn concentrations than coarse grinding, indicating that finer particle exposure and increased friction enhance metal transfer from processing tools. Iron levels were highest in beans (10.97 mg/kg), followed by crayfish (6.47 mg/kg) and white corn (4.64 mg/kg), while zinc peaked in crayfish (1.15 mg/kg) and groundnut (0.82 mg/kg). Manganese were moderate, with the highest levels in pepper (0.71 mg/kg) and melon (0.58 mg/kg). Nickel appeared only in isolated smooth-ground samples, while cadmium and lead were largely undetected, except for trace levels in melon (0.015 mg/kg) and tomatoes (0.00008 mg/kg). Blenders, hand crank grinders, and aged milling machines contributed most to metal leaching, whereas traditional tools such as mortars and grinding stones showed comparatively lower contamination. Although detected metal levels generally fell within international food safety limits, cumulative exposure may pose long-term health risks. The study concludes that grinding fineness, tool type, and age are key factors influencing heavy metal migration during food processing. Routine equipment maintenance, use of food-grade materials, and greater public awareness are recommended to minimize contamination and ensure safer household and industrial food processing practices.

It would be recalled in 2015, when former President Mohamadu Buhari took over power from the People's Democratic Party, (PDP), the nation was at it's precipice. Some pundits believed that the "saviour" had come as there was high volume of insecurity across the nation, particularly in the North East and other parts of the North. People could hardly move from one location to the other across the country for fear of kidnapping as well as other terrorist attacks. It was at the beehive of these social societal ills that President Buhari came with the mantra of "Change" which encompassed a four point agenda of: fighting insecurity, revamping the economy, fight the dreaded monster of corruption, and alleviate poverty.¹ All these were in a bid to enact commiserate policies that would reposition the naira. Recall also, in his campaigns he actually promised Nigerians that he was going to bring the naira to exchange for one naira to one U.S. Dollar, which was at that time was exchanging for between 150-170 naira to a dollar. It is pertinent to state here at this juncture that in 2023, when Buhari was leaving office and handing over to another APC government, the naira was exchanging for over 750 naira to a dollar in the parallel market and about 600 in the official market.