Nation

70% Of Nigerian Foods Rejected Abroad – NAFDAC DG

Published

1 week ago

May 22, 2023

NAFDAC-Director-General-Prof-Mojisola-Adeyeye

... As Agency initiates strategy to end challenge

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye Sunday said 70 per cent of food exports from Nigeria are rejected abroad, blaming it on the deplorable state of export trade facilitation for regulated products leaving the country.

Adeyeye who spoke during the commissioning of a New NAFDAC Office complex at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport/NAHCO in Lagos said the incidence has become a cause for concern for the Agency with huge financial losses to the exporters and the country at large.

She however added that the incidence of rejection of food exports from Nigeria in some European countries and the United States of America will soon become a thing of the past if collaboration between the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC and other government agencies at the ports is strengthened.

Adeyeye added that a visit to NAFDAC Export warehouses within the international airport would explain the major reason for the continuous rejection of Nigerian exports abroad.

She noted that the Agency was responding to the challenge by initiating a collaborative adventure with the government agencies at the Ports towards ensuring that goods are of requisite quality and meet the regulatory requirements of the importing countries and destinations before such are even packaged and hauled to the ports for shipment.

“This raises the need for more enhanced export regulation – packaging, pre-shipment testing and certification to provide some quality assurance and minimise rejects.

To save our national reputation in international commerce, all stakeholders in the export trade should see this as a call to duty and collaborate with NAFDAC for the sake of the country and our collective future.

‘’The mandate to safeguard the health of the populace through ensuring that food, medicines, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water are safe, efficacious and of the right quality in an economy that is overwhelmingly dependent on the importation of the bulk of its finished products and raw materials could never have been actualized without the effective presence of NAFDAC at the ports and land borders,’ she said.

Adeyeye said: ‘’Our push through the resilience of the past Director, Prof Samson Adebayo on assumption of duties, for the immediate return of NAFDAC to the ports that eventually happened in May 2018’’, stressing that ‘’with gratitude for the approval of the President and the various arms of the Government, the results of our presence at the ports are available for everyone to see’’.

She commended the Nigeria Customs Service for the symbiotic relationship that exists between its management and the Agency, saying ‘’without customs, they will not be able to do a lot of what they have been able to do.

“NAFDAC collaborates with Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, to ensure that due diligence is done because over 70 per cent of the products that leave our ports get rejected. Considering the money spent on getting those products out of the country, it is a double loss for both the exporter and the country)’’.

‘’Without the police, we cannot do much in terms of investigation and enforcement. We have over 80 policemen with us in NAFDAC. They help us a lot when we are doing raids or investigations as the case may be’’.

She further explained that the Agency has embarked on the optimisation and customisation of its processes, stating that the Ports Inspection Data-Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS) is presently deployed in all of the nation’s ports and land borders to automatically capture and process data for imported regulated products from the Nigeria Customs Information System (NICIS).

Share on Facebook

Save

Nation

Three Killed While Travelling To Attend Inauguration Of New Ebonyi Governor, Nwifuru

Published

4 hours ago

May 30, 2023

Estreet News

The victims who hailed, from Izzi Local Government Area, the home town of the new governor, Francis Nwifuru, were said to have died in a ghastly motor accident on their way to Abakaliki.

Three persons travelling to attend Monday’s swearing-in ceremony in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, Southeast Nigeria, have reportedly been killed.

The victims who hailed, from Izzi Local Government Area, the home town of the new governor, Francis Nwifuru, were said to have died in a ghastly motor accident on their way to Abakaliki.

Although the details of the accident were still sketchy, reports claimed many others also sustained varying degrees of injury.

According to one report, the vehicle carrying the victims had gone to Izzi to pick up villagers. Unfortunately, while they were travelling from the local government area to Abakaliki, one of the car tyres was deflated.

Those injured in the accident have reportedly been moved to the Ebonyi Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki.

The swearing-in ceremony in the state, like it is happening across the country today (Monday), is holding at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki.

Meanwhile, efforts made by SaharaReporters to speak with the State Police Public Relations Officer SP, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, were unsuccessful as she didn’t answer her calls.

Share on Facebook

Save

Nation

Enugu Governor, Mbah Names Chidiebere Onyia SSG

Published

5 hours ago

May 30, 2023

Estreet News

The Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah has appointed Professor Chidiebere Onyia as the new Secretary to the State Government, SSG.

The appointment was announced in a statement personally signed by the Governor on Monday and released to the press by his media office.

Until his appointment, Prof. Onyia was the Managing Director of the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Facility.

He was also the Lead strategy advisor for the Federal Government of Nigeria, World Bank Group Power Sector Recovery Programme, and has over the years rendered services to different international organizations and countries, among them the United Nations, Germany and Russia.

Prof. Onyia is a visiting Professor of Education at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, a former visiting Professor at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and serves on the Governing Council of two private Nigerian universities.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Masters of Business Administration degree and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership.

He also had a post-doctoral scholarship in Education Policy from the Ivy League Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.

Prof. Onyia, with over 25 years of experiences in leadership, innovation, strategy, institutional reforms and research, has received numerous international and national awards and accolades for leadership excellence and for his outstanding contributions to the education sector. He is well published and a certified educational consultant, researcher, presenter, mentor and author of many books.

Prof. Onyia was a member of the Transition Committee, the technical committee that developed an actionable plan for the Peter Mbah administration, based on his manifesto and social contract with the people of Enugu State.

Share on Facebook

Save

Nation

Abia Governor, Otti Summons All Perm Secs To Meeting

Published

5 hours ago

May 30, 2023

Estreet News

Abia State Governor, Alex Chioma Otti has invited all Permanent Secretaries in the State civil service to a crucial meeting today, Tuesday.

The Governor made this known in a press release signed by Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

Ekeoma said that the meeting will be held at Michael Okpara auditorium in Umuahia.

The reason for the first official meeting was not disclosed, but it may not be unconnected with the Governor’s plans to reform the State’s civil service as contained in his inaugural broadcast.

Also the issue of salary arrears of civil servants which caused a three-week strike, may also be deliberated during the meeting.

Otti had during his inaugural speech abolished the dichotomy between core and non-core civil servants, saying that all civil servants would receive equal treatment in payment of salaries.

“We will treat all workers in the State as equal and none will be denied salaries while the other will be paid as it was done by the immediate past administration,” Otti had declared n his speech on Monday.

Share on Facebook

Save