The National Agency For Food And Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has sealed two unregistered water-packaging companies for allegedly operating without NAFDAC approval in the Ota area of Ogun State.

Mr Philip Benu, State Coordinator, NAFDAC, Ogun 2 Office, Ota, told NAN on Thursday after the exercise that the two companies failed to meet NAFDAC requirements for registration.

Benu said the raid and enforcement were based on routine inspections by regulatory officers in Ogun 2 office.

He said the two companies’ facilities were placed on hold with NAFDAC seal and the companies were invited to the office for scrutiny when they were found operating without approval early in the year.

Benu added that at the time of the first inspection, nobody on the ground warranted immediate arrest for questioning at either facility.

He said despite the seal placed and letters of invitation dropped for the two companies to visit NAFDAC office in Ota, they remained adamant and went ahead to remove the seals placed at the entrances of both companies.

The NAFDAC state coordinator further said the two companies resumed production of unregistered water products with fake NAFDAC registration numbers in a dirty and unhygienic environment.

”For anyone to produce any registered packaged product, you must have a building or adapted one that meets the minimum requirements of NAFDAC.

“In addition, for you to get the NAFDAC number, we need to visit your site and ensure that the facilities are okay.

“It is after your product had passed through our laboratory test that NAFDAC would approve a number for you.

“We also need to monitor such producers on a routine basis to ensure that they are doing the right thing,” he said.

Benu noted that what some of the people were doing was to get any place and buy machines without NAFDAC approval and start producing in a one room apartment.