NAFDAC refuses to compromise quality of products despite economic hardship

The National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) has said safe and standard quality of regulated products would not be compromised in spite of the prevailing economy of the country.

Mrs Roseline Ajayi, NAFDAC South-West Coordinator, made the pledge during a one-day stakeholders interactive meeting organised by the agency on Thursday in Akure.

Ajayi said that the Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeleye, had introduced some measures as intervention to ease the burden on the agency’s stakeholders.

“It is a call on all stakeholders operating in the regulatory space to embrace and confront the dynamic nature of the business environment with a view to exploring the opportunities inherent in the challenges.

“It is a statement of fact that the business environment is experiencing several challenges, including subsidy removal, unpredictable exchange rates, unstable power supply and other issues threatening business sustainability.

“However, those engaged in NAFDAC regulated products must come to the understanding that safety, standard and quality are not negotiable.

“And because of economic hardship, our D-G has opened a window of three months administrative charges waivers for late renewal of license of the stakeholders from January to end of March,” she said.

According to her, anybody caught selling or producing unregistered products would be penalised with administrative charges

Ajayi also said that the stakeholders meeting was in line with the directives of the NAFDAC director-general to engage with the different sectors of stakeholders.

“The purpose of this meeting is aimed at safeguarding the health of the nation.

“We want to ensure that only the right quality and safe products are made available for the consumers in the country because it’s unauthorised and a violation of the law for any body to produce unhealthy products,” she said.

Ajayi also advised Nigerians to patronise only registered products, either imported or locally made, for their health benefits.

“Let our consumers be careful of what they are consuming and stop patronising products without NAFDAC registration numbers.

“If you continue to patronise them, you are as well encouraging them to do more, but without you patronising them, they will go out of the business,” Ajayi said.

Also, Mr Charles Nwachukwu, a director in the agency’s office in Lagos, enjoined producers to be mindful of what they produce for human consumption in the country.

“Don’t adulterate your products because your are serving your people not animals.

“And if you cannot take what you are producing, there is no reason for you to produce or go into any productions.

“Don’t produce what will jeopardise our health.

“If you're a supermarket owner and you go and validate your product, the law will catch you,” he said.

One of the participants, Mapay Rotimi, Chairman, Association of Table Water Producers (ATWAP), Akure zone, appreciated the NAFDAC DG for the three months licence waivers.

He also appealed to the agency to regulate issuance of licence to the water producers in the state.

“In the two local government which comprises Akure zone, about 150 water producers are given licenses

“And in the process of competing with one another, some of us might be tempted to reduce the quality in order to push their products into the market.

“So, it is our concern that NAFDAC issuance of licenses should be strict,” Rotimi said.