| NAFDAC boss must hear
this!
•Importers of fake goods exploit NAFDAC’s weak
laws as unregistered products flood Nigerian market
By RITA EJESIEME
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
 |
•Tomato
paste
Photo: Sun Publishing
|
|
There may well be reasons to believe that the days when importers
were scared of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration
and Control (NAFDAC) are over. How else could anyone describe
the influx of unregistered and, invariably, adulterated products
into the market?
A certain product now in the market, which has neither a manufacturer
nor NAFDAC number, typifies these products. Importers of these
products are exploring weak laws which only slam them with
a fine or administrative charges when the agency gets at them.
Curiously the product serving as an example bears the same
name TOMA as an existing and registered tomato which has long
been in the market. The question would now be; how did the
product get into the Nigerian market without a NAFDAC registration
number? It does not even have a manufacturer’s address
as against the genuine one which has an address as well as
NAFDAC registration. But both bear the name TOMA.
Our investigations show that they probably came through the
land borders. The implication being that they evaded customs
duties, NAFDAC charges and other fees such as naturally crash
their prices against the official product. Consumers are hoodwinked
into buying the products, which are understandably cheaper
than the original ones because they bear the same name with
another well-known product.
Now true owners of the real product who do not want their
name in print for security reasons are crying foul.
“There may well be compromises,” said one of them.
“Because we have reported this development and NAFDAC
officials merely go to the market, take samples and say they
are looking for the importer. Even when they see the importer
they would only slam administrative charges or fines and the
matter ends there. This encourages importation of unregistered
products because the importers would prefer to pay the fine
since their profit is good enough to pay.”
By coming through the land borders, NAFDAC and other agencies
may have lost revenue given that the importers would not have
paid port charges, import duties and NAFDAC fees. What are
the health implications of these products, particularly this
fake TOMA tomato now in the market? A food analyst, Mazi A
O Eboh told Daily Sun that the unregistered tomato must be
unwholesome.
“As long as it does not bear any NAFDAC number and has
no manufacturer’s address then it cannot be genuine.
That is why those bringing it in do not want to be identified.
It is indeed curious that NAFDAC has not gone to impound this
unwholesome product now flooding Lagos and beyond. I would
not want to believe that there is any complicity. Perhaps
NAFDAC is not aware. I believe the agency would not expose
Nigerians to such health hazards by consuming unregistered
and cloned or adulterated products.”
TOMA tomato has a history of being cloned and brought in,
yet only one company registered it with NAFDAC, a situation
that makes it even more curious that the agency has raised
no eyebrows over fake and cheap ones flooding the market.
Scores of other such products, especially soaps are also said
to be existing, giving the impression that a certain laxity
may have crept back into the operations of the agency. The
tomato in question is found in large quantities at Oke-Arin
market in Lagos, in Aba and Onitsha. There are also indications
that the unregistered product is in other markets across the
country.
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