The commitment of the National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) remains unwavering, ensuring the safety and quality standards of regulated products, even amidst the challenges posed by the current economic conditions in the country.
During a one-day stakeholders interactive meeting held in Akure, the South-West Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mrs. Roseline Ajayi, reiterated this pledge to uphold safety standards. She emphasized that despite economic constraints, NAFDAC remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard public health.
Mrs. Ajayi highlighted the proactive steps taken by the Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeleye, in implementing intervention measures aimed at alleviating the burden on stakeholders within the agency’s purview. These measures underscore NAFDAC’s commitment to maintaining product quality and safety standards amid economic challenges.
The interactive session served as a platform for stakeholders to engage with NAFDAC officials, exchange ideas, and explore collaborative strategies to ensure the continued delivery of safe and standardized products to consumers across the country.
“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 Uwachukwu, 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 your are a supermarket owner and you go and validate your product, the law will catch you,” he said.
One of the participants, Mr 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.
