Agency shut down water factory over safety concerns in Niger

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Niger, has sealed a sachet water factory in Kontagora area of the state over non-compliance with approved health standards.

Mr Anikoh Ibrahim, the State Coordinator of NAFDAC, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Minna in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that the factory, S.A. Lani Water, was discovered recently during routine check in the Local Government Area.

“We discovered that the factory was compromising the health of unsuspecting consumers by packaging table water in unhygienic environment.

“We also discovered that it was producing water without ultraviolet light which makes it unhygienic because there was nothing to kill germs in the water so we sealed it,’’ he said.

Ibrahim explained that the ultraviolet light was responsible for killing germs before other processes in the packaging of table water.

He said that the factory also exposed the water to contamination by keeping the packaged water on bare floor without pallets.

The state coordinator of NAFDAC said that sealing the factory would enable the agency to sanction the company to make it comply with standards before reopening for business.

He said that details of the agency’s report on the matter had been forwarded to its Enforcement and Investigation Directorate in Lagos for necessary action.