Two stores in Benin, the capital of Edo State, were closed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, or NAFDAC, on Thursday for allegedly selling chemicals without the necessary safety precautions or a license.
The stores in question are Onebamchi Chemicals in Benin’s Ramat Park Market and Golden Juliros Nigeria Ltd. on Evbiemwen Street, off Wire Road. Officials from the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Unit’s Asaba and Edo offices carried out the activities.
The two stores have been under monitoring for years, according to NAFDAC’s Edo Coordinator Esther Itua, and the owners have repeatedly refused to register as chemical dealers.
“One of the statutory mandates of NAFDAC is to monitor and control the manufacture, distribution, sale, advertisement, and use of regulated products, including chemicals.
“For clients or people who want to deal in chemicals locally, there is a process called chemical listing. It is like a license issued by the agency to those who sell chemicals locally.
“Before that license is issued, certain conditions must be met, such as registering as a company in Nigeria, having a warehouse to store the chemicals, and employing staff, among other requirements,” she said.
According to her, the shops failed to meet the conditions required for the agency to inspect the facilities. She added that the task force from Asaba was involved due to the magnitude of the two facilities.
