NIGERIA – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has closed down 38 sachet water production outlets in Sokoto State, Nigeria, for flouting various production laws.
NAFDAC State Coordinator in Sokoto, Malam Garba Adamu, disclosed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that no fewer than 300 sachet water popularly called “Pure Water” production outlets were registered in the 23 local government areas in the state.
He noted that the exercise was part of the routine operations of the agency aimed at safeguarding the quality and sanity of products being consumed by people.
He said the inspection exercise began mid-August, and that officials covered all the sachet water production outlets to ensure strict compliance with statutory regulations.
“The 38 sealed outlets had poor hygiene, low-quality production, illegal production and other offences. We received complaints daily on the poor quality of sachet water and prevalence of outbreaks of water-related diseases, that is why we swung into action. Our aim is to ensure maintenance of good manufacturing process. So, most of the outlets have been put on hold for them to come to the office and obtain requisite practice procedures as they were registered.”
The coordinator urged the people to prudently check the sachet water they drink to ensure that there is no extraneous matter, adding that they should report any form of impurity or suspected adulterations for appropriate actions.
He said that the sealed outlets would be sanctioned in line with NAFDAC laws for them to properly register and obtain their license.
“The important thing is to immediately shut down the facilities to prevent further spread of the produced sachet water as safeguarding public health is a priority.”
Adamu assured of the agency’s commitment to safeguarding people’s lives while appealing for the cooperation of the public for the continuation of the exercise in the state.
NAFDAC has been battling with issues of poor Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) among water processors. It had earlier expressed dismay that shortly after procuring registration approval, many of the registered producers of packaged water across Nigeria lower standards and produce the essential commodity under despicable conditions, putting the health of the Nigerian consuming public at risk.
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