The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, Kebbi Office, has carried out a sensitization programme for packaged water producers to educate them on hygienic ways of production for a healthier society.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event was tagged, ‘One Day Stakeholders Enlightenment Programme for Packaged Water and Water-Based Products Manufacturers’.
While flagging off the programme in Birnin Kebbi, the Coordinator, of NAFDAC, Kebbi Office, Mr. Muiddeen Suleiman, said the essence of the event was to improve the knowledge, understanding and the purpose of regulation among the operators of packaged water and other related products manufacturing outfits in the state.
“During my engagement with the producers in the last one year or so, I observed that most of the people who are involved in the business have other businesses.
” They just opened this business as an additional source of income, therefore, they are not there to monitor what’s going on.
“Most of them don’t even come to the NAFDAC office to seek knowledge or to know the guidelines or requirements. They don’t know the dos and don’ts that affect the quality; people they also employ don’t even know the requirements for registration and they don’t know the standard operating procedure for production.
“NAFDAC as an agency, our mandate is to ensure that you produce well-packaged water good for consumption. The agency is not meant to punish or sanction anybody but to ensure the production of good quality and hygienic products,” he said.
While lamenting that there are over 500 registered water producers across Kebbi, Suleiman said very few of them turned up for the programme.
The State Coordinator, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Alhaji Nasir Hussain, said their mandate was akin to that of NAFDAC, hence the need to be part of the sensitisation programme.
He observed that some packaged water factories are not good enough for production, and advised producers to brace up to the challenges, to ensure the production of quality products.
The General Manager, Kebbi State Water Board, Alhaji Zayyanu Shehu, said the sensitisation was very vital in view of the fact that most of the packaged water producers do not know their responsibilities.
The general manager, who was represented by a Director, Alhaji Aminu Bunza, appealed to the agency to sustain the tempo and ensure the availability of quality water
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Packaged Water Producers Association, Alhaji Aliyu Bande, lamented the low turnout of members at the programme and urged them to live up to the expectations of the agency and consumers.
He lauded NAFDAC for organising the programme and described it as a step towards not only producing quality water but also standardising the business for better performance.
Bande urged members of the association to be united to move the association to greater heights.
(NAN)
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