NAFDAC officials have power to enter any premises without warrant — Director

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has flayed the obstruction of its personnel while in the line of duty by unscrupulous marketers of unwholesome foods and goods.

Mr Martins Iluyomade, South-East Zonal Director, NAFDAC, flayed the obstruction of its personnel during a South-East stakeholders forum held on Thursday in Enugu.

Iluyomade said that the obstruction of its personnel from conducting an inspection on any premises was an offence punishable by the Food and Drug Act.

He said that the Food and Drug Act gave NAFDAC officials the power to enter premises any time without a search warrant.

“The law gives the provision that any proceed made from the sale of unregistered product will be forfeited to the Federal Government,” Iluyomade said.

Also, the Principal Regulatory Officer, Mrs Ogechi Ude, who spoke on Post Marketing Surveillance, said that part of the regulatory function of the agency was the assessment of the quality of all NAFDAC-regulated products throughout their shelf life.

Ude urged the stakeholders in the food, drug, cosmetics industry to source and buy registered products only.

She added that marketers of regulated products should train their workers to always check products for expiration date.

She said that NAFDAC had deployed cutting edge technologies to fight against substandard and falsified products.

Mrs Paschaline Ibiam, the Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, who spoke on Good Manufacturing and Hygiene Practices, urged manufacturers to be consistent in production of goods.

Dr Cletus Harrison, NAFDAC’s Regulatory Officer, said that NAFDAC Automated Product Administration and Monitoring System (NAPAMS) carries out registration  online.

Harrison urged manufacturers and marketers of regulated products to have a personal email address for proper communication with the agency as registration could now be done with their phones.

One of the stakeholders, Mr Emmanuel Eze, expressed his joy over the forum and urged NAFDAC to regularly organise the programme at least twice in a year.