Yesterday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) shut down three alcoholic beverage factories in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, just a day after announcing a ban on small and affordable alcoholic drinks. During the raid, Umar Suleiman, NAFDAC’s assistant chief regulatory officer, told reporters that two of the factories, Bemag Industries Nigeria Ltd and Good Life Global Beverages Ltd, were closed for failing to adhere to good manufacturing practices.
The third factory, Stevenson Multi Global Ltd, was shut down for producing banned alcoholic beverages in sachets worth N6 million, not following good manufacturing practices, and producing without NAFDAC registration. Suleiman explained that this nationwide raid was conducted following the agency’s deadline of January 31, 2024, which was given to alcoholic beverage producers in 2018 to stop making alcohol in 100ml, 20ml, 30 ml, and in sachets. The move was made to help tackle the issue of alcohol abuse in the country, particularly among young people.
In a similar development, NAFDAC also closed down an unregistered bakery in Sokoto for repackaging other products and operating in an unhygienic environment. Garba Adamu, the state’s NAFDAC coordinator, confirmed that the bakery was shut down with the help of security operatives. The owner of the bakery has been arrested and penalized, and the materials used for the production were also confiscated. Adamu added that the owner had been educated and guided on how to register his bakery products in line with the stipulated guidelines.