Dennis Erezi
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut down foods limited, a rice processing company in Minna, the Niger State Capital.
NAFDAC said the rice factory was operating under poor manufacturing practices and an unhygienic environment.
Zonal Director, North Central Zone of NAFDAC, Pharmacist Shaba Mohammed, led the NAFDAC enforcement team in Minna during the agency’s quarterly routine inspection of the facilities.
Shaba disclosed that though, the facility was registered by the NAFDAC, the production environment was unhygienic and not in compliance with the standards for manufacturing practices.
The NAFDAC official said they also discovered that the personnel employed by the company were not qualified for the sensitive positions they held and lacked knowledge of production.
Shaba also ordered that the dispenser water be placed on hold.
Meanwhile, at Jonapal Supermarket in Minna, the Zonal Director of NAFDAC, also ordered the confiscation of unregistered herbal teas, saying that the herbal teas were not registered and could be harmful when consumed.
In a related development, the agency has also organised a one-day workshop for Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s) to sensitise them on NAFDAC Automated Product Administration and Monitoring System (NAPAMS), introduced by NAFDAC for ease of doing business.
Shaba disclosed that NAPAMS is an e-registration and data capture system that provides an online electronic medium for the application for products registration with NAFDAC.
He advised MSME’s to take advantage of NAPAMS to ease their interface with the Agency and called on the general public to report anything that would endanger lives of the people to the Agency.
In his opening remarks, the NAFDAC Coordinator in Niger State, Pharmacist James Kigbu, said the workshop was aimed to sensitise entrepreneurs on NAPAMS portal introduced by the Agency for ease of doing business.
In their goodwill messages, Mr Folorunsho Ibrahim, Manager of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDEN) and Mrs Okwy Effiong, President, Export of Unique Nigerian Products, described NAFDAC as major stakeholders in the state.
They called for continuous mutual understanding between the agency MSME’S, and urged Small Medium Enterprises to take advantage of NAPAMS to interface with NAFDAC from the comfort of their homes.
