Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has hailed a plan by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to check double regulations through policy formulation.
NBCC’s President Prince Dapo Adelegan, who said this at the chamber’s breakfast meeting in Lagos, noted that the plan was a welcome development for business owners and investors.
He added that the implementation of the policy, when it becomes law, would put an end to issues of double regulations faced by operators.
Adelegan warned on the potential impact of certain manufactured chemical on living organisms, particularly man and the natural environment, which could degenerate to air, land and sea pollution, global warming and climate change, as well as ozone depletion.
Speaking on a topic, “NAFDAC Jurisdiction on Restricted Products in the Chemical Industry and Related Sectors in Nigeria,” the agency’s director-general, Dr. Paul Orhii, said it would come up with a policy to check overlapping functions with SON to end double regulations.
He called on operators to supply the agency with relevant information that would assist in formulating the policy.
Orhii said the agency was also working on harmonising its operations with members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region to enhance trade.
He stated that the agency was in an era when regulations of chemical and other products have become critical.
He hinted that the agency had stepped up its monitoring operations, with its agents strategically positioned at different parts of the country, checking products in shops to ensure that manufacturers keep to standards.
“We have situations where people bring their best products for test and produce substandard ones for the public. Now we are doing proper monitoring of products. We have our staff outside now who buy your products like other consumers and take them to laboratory for test to ensure they are up to standard,” Orhii stated.
The Managing Director, Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Pls, Mrs. Lara Elemide, emphasised the relevance of standard in enhancing brand reputation.
NBCC, a chamber dedicated to fostering trade relations between Nigeria and Britain, will in November embark on a trade mission to UK for non-oil products to promote export and attract foreign investment into Nigeria.