The Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON) yesterday said that importers of substances related to chemistry, especially chemicals, will need to get certified and licensed by it before they can import chemicals.

It further said while this new direction is meant to safeguard the lives of Nigerians, especially against chemical disasters and accidents, it would also improve the economic indices of the country and create more jobs because every importing company now needs to employ the services of a chartered chemist as an additional requirement for importation.

The President and Chairman of the Council of the ICCON, Prof. Fanna Abdulrahaman, made this known in Abuja during its 16th workshop, induction and investiture, with the theme “Safety and Health in the Use of Chemicals.”

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She said: “I am glad to mention that the office of the National Security Adviser has commenced the implementation of the regulation on the inclusion of ICCON certified chemists as technical officers for the application of End User Certificate to import high priority chemicals.

“There are very important key chemicals that are being imported all the time, for which the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has the sole responsibility of certifying that those chemicals coming in are the right ones.

“From our collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), things that are specific to chemistry have been removed from there and every company that is to import some specific chemicals will now need certification from us. They will also need a technical officer who is also a chartered chemist. Otherwise, they will not get the license to import.”

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ICCON, Jwalshik Wilford added: “We have 220 people being inducted; about 78 are technical officers from corporate companies that have registered with us. For the membership, we have about 98 of them, while 46 are fellows.”