From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The National Agency For Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has informed officers of the Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) in Kebbi State that the agency would mop out all the unregistered food items at various supermarkets and sanctions business owners with expired licenses by April.
State Coordinator of the Agency in Kebbi State, Alhaji Muyideen Folorunsho Suleiman stated this while addressing the officers of the business group in his office in Birnin Kebbi.
He informed them that the agency had waited for a long time to enable them to redeem their obligations with NAFDAC according to the laws and regulations guiding Medium and Small Scale Entrepreneurs.
According to him, “I sincerely welcome you. We are very happy for your coming down here because it is a way of communicating your seriously. It also gives us an opportunity to exchange ideas. Its give us the opportunity to tell you where to serve you better. It also gives room for you to communicate your challenges to us and through that, we can understand you better.
“If there are ways we can assist each other apart from the regulations and laws stipulated, and build on our current status, we would do it. Again, your coming here tells us that you are a law-abiding citizen. For you to decide to come to our office, it’s shown that you are ready to work with us and identify with us and ready to do things according to the guidelines. Just like I said, this kind of meeting would afford us an opportunity to exchange ideas and know ourselves better”.
While warning them ahead of NAFDAC raiding, Suleiman said the agency has given them a long waiting period to normalise their status with the agency.
He said: “All the products that were not registered with NAFDAC will be mop up in the market. So, tell your members to come over to renew their licenses. After Sallah, we are coming out to mop up products which have not been registered with us. As it is now, we have waited a long time for you to respond and the waiting period will end this Month for renewal of licenses.
“Any moment in April, we are going to be visiting supermarkets, open markets, kiosks to mop up unregistered products. Inform your members that we are coming,” he said.
Mallam Hussaini Salihu Auta, a Management Staff of NAFDAC in the state also informed them that the agency would not condole any supermarket selling unregistered food items as well operating without renewal of their licences.
In his reaction, Hajia Mariam Yakubu – Interim Coordinator and Chairperson of NASME appealed to the agency to write a circular on their proposed moping up of the unregistered food items and raiding of the supermarkets to the association so that they could properly pass the information to members.
The meeting was also attended by Hajia Shefia Bala, Women leader, Mallam Umar Faruq ,PRO,Mr. Nafiu Sani Gulumbe, Youth Leader, and Aminu Buhari Galadima.