Due to their failure to adhere to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements, the Operation Managers of four table water production companies have been invited by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Among the factories are Oral Water and Logistics Limited, which makes Le-Starlight Table Water in Jikwoyi, Abuja, and Yireh Yaweh Table Water in Jikwoyi. The other two are Daraja Table Water and Iris Table Water and Beverages, which are situated in the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) Karshi, Nasarawa axis and produce Siris Table Water.
Continuing, the four factories were also shuttered and sealed by NAFDAC on Monday while it conducted enforcement operations in Abuja.
BrandSpur Nigeria news reports that NAFDAC’s Mararaba Office Subunit Head, Wilberforce-Glory Albert, clarified that the agency launched the raid because of worries about the water quality these facilities were producing. She said that all of the facilities that were sealed had subpar GMP procedures and that this needed to be fixed right away.
However, several of these firms, she said, lacked pallets to stack their final goods, and some lacked a production manager to guarantee GMP compliance. She also emphasised how some facilities were operating without licenses, had inadequate packing, no building lighting, and underequipped staff, all of which led to the subpar GMP.
She went on to say: “These are the reasons we sealed the facilities and invited them for further investigation at NAFDAC’s office.”
She also revealed that since NAFDAC had set up a new office to supervise Mararaba, Keffi, Nyanya, Jikwoyi, and Kurudu, the raid in the area signalled the start of more extensive enforcement measures. She added: “This new office falls under the FCT Directorate and is known as “Greater FCT.”
She emphasised that the law would catch up with those who continued to act improperly and cautioned local producers against creating subpar goods. She stated: “This raid will continue. We’ve just started, and we won’t stop until these factories comply with GMP standards.
“There is no hiding place for producers of substandard products, everyone must do the right thing, obtain the necessary licenses, and produce under proper conditions,” she added.
Another reason for their invitation to NAFDAC, she disclosed, was that some of the shuttered facilities claimed to be registered with the agency but were unable to produce the necessary paperwork. They should bring all pertinent documents to NAFDAC’s office, she said.
The factories would have to pay for any sanctions imposed by the agency, the NAFDAC team lead added, stating: “If their licenses had expired, they would also need to pay for renewals and investigation charges.”
NAFDAC reaffirmed its determination to look into and stop any other unlawful activity these factories may be engaging in.
