The Zonal Director, Northwest of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs Josephine Abbas, has warned manufacturers and producers in Kebbi state to desist from using harmful chemicals that are capable of causing cancer to unsuspecting consumers in Kebbi and Nigeria.
The agency’s zonal chief gave the warning in Birnin Kebbi during a high-level NAFDAC stakeholders interactive meeting, as she also extended the warning to those who began production without registrations or with expired licenses.
According to her, the agency at the top level have made registration easy as part of plans by the Director General to encourage more legal productions in order to discourage hidden illegal productions which is inimical to consumers’ health because their products are not registered therefore didn’t get the needed scrutiny by NAFDAC.
Abbas added the Director General has decentralised registration through the introduction of e-registrations that a manufacturer can do from his comfort zone all in an effort to ensure safe productions.
She said, “As much as we want all of you to remain in business, NAFDAC will not allow any individual or group of persons to endanger the lives of many Nigerians, therefore every producer and/or manufacturer should not hide or run away but come forward to register his products or company”.
She noted that NAFDAC is not here to intimidate or harass anybody but to correct anomalies and as well sanction defaulters who defied social engagements like the one holding now.
Earlier, the Kebbi state, NAFDAC Coordinator, Alhaji Muyideen Sulaiman, thanked the zonal coordinator for her visit to Kebbi and also appealed to the head office to fast-track the building of the permanent office in Kebbi and the replacement of operational vehicle which he said is ageing.
Sulaiman, who blamed banditry and few industries in the state on low revenue generation said that despite that, the office’s monthly generated over a million plus as revenue.
He thanked the governor of Kebbi state, Dr Nasir Idris for providing an atmosphere of peace for the smooth operation of the agency.
During the interactive session, a manufacturer, Mrs Rebecca Ezrah Dikki with a company named SERMA Nigeria Limited who produces peanuts butter and snacks decried high NAFDAC registration fees saying the agency is responsible for hidden and illegal productions in the state and elsewhere in the country because mini businesses like SMEs cannot afford the registration which almost or above their entire capital.
She appealed to the DG to make registrations affordable to encourage mini businesses to avoid illegal productions.
