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NAFDAC Seals Chinese Supermarket in Abuja for Violating Labeling Regulations
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) today January 6, sealed a Chinese supermarket for allegedly selling goods labelled in Chinese language without its proper notification.
Speaking with newsmen after the exercise, NAFDAC’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Shaba Mohammed, said that the agency got ‘credible information’ about the supermarket situated at Azba Mall, 2 Durban Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
According to Mohammed, the intel received indicated that all the items being sold at the supermarket were labelled in Chinese language, a situation which, he said, violated NAFDAC regulations.
Mohammed, also the Chairman, Federal Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods with the agency, said upon getting the information, NAFDAC quickly swung into action to find out the situation of things.
He said that the agency would carry out investigation on why the over 90 per cent of the goods in the supermarket were labelled in foreign language and how they got into the country.
The director also said that some of the affected goods had expired and that they were still on the supermarket’s shelves.
“The supermarket was sealed for violating NAFDAC regulations; investigation will surely go on about this supermarket; we will also need to go to its warehouse in order to stop them from selling some products. The whole information about this supermarket just go to us; if we had know the information from the beginning, we would have taken regulatory action we just took against it now.
Selling items in foreign language in a country is a violation of our law; if you must sell anything either in Arabic, Chinese and French, you must have English translation of it.
More than 90 per cent of the goods sold in the supermarket are in Chinese language. You might find some Nigerians patronising the supermarket; they should be able to read about some of the items on the shelves.
Some of these items have also expired. Even if they are giving global listing to import, they ought to be in English language. This supermarket cannot present to NAFDAC a document through which the items were approved in foreign language. This is not acceptable and that is why we have to seal the supermarket; we will invite the owner for further investigation before we can conclude on the case,” he said
The director said that if the supermarket was found culpable of violating NAFDAC regulations, punishable action would be taken against it.
“It is not every case we charge to court; we will take regulatory action against the supermarket, which may be an administrative action.
Before any certification is given by NAFDAC, it would have visited the site/shop for goods storage and distribution practice.
NAFDAC, upon its visit, will ensure that the facilities are in accordance with NAFDAC regulations,” he said.
Mohammed also stated that the supermarket might have bypassed NAFDAC in the process of bringing some of the goods into the country.
“NAFDAC will not see all these items at the port with every description in foreign language and allow them in; they would have been intercepted immediately,” he said.
Bosun Tijani, minister for Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, has stated that the federal government is geared towards creating about one million technology jobs for teeming Nigerian youth.
Tijani stated this at the official opening of a solar-powered community ICT center built by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abeokuta, as part of activities marking the 38th Lisabi festival.
The minister emphasised the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to invest in the digital economy, driving inclusive growth and empowering the country’s teeming youth population.
“The president made it very clear when I came into office, that he will spend efforts and resources in creating one million technology jobs. So, for anybody that is following the development in the world today you will see that there’s no world without technology.
“There is a strong shortage of technology workforce all over the world, and while a lot of the developed countries have ageing population, and not giving birth to kids, in Nigeria, the average age is 16.9, so our young people are being projected to be the workforce of the future, not only for Nigeria.
“This center here is one of many. In the next two months, we are launching about 30 of them all over the country. This center will be properly animated and we will put resources into ensuring that there are courses for young people to come and take here.
“We are also going to ensure that there are job opportunities that we can connect them to and if anyone wants to follow, follow the three million Technical Talent Program which we have started already in the country”, he said.
He therefore charged the youth to remain focus, and not be discouraged, adding that there is massive employment opportunities in technology as there is no enough people to work in technology all over the world.
“If you ask anyone that works in technology, the entry salary is between N350,000 to N500,000. Technology pays really well, so instead of worrying about things being hard, they should take advantage of centers like this, empower themselves and go for the opportunities the world has to offer them”, he added.
Speaking earlier, Oba Adedotun Are, Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, lauded President Tinubu for approving the centre in Abeokuta, saying that this has no doubt marked another new dawn for the people of Egbaland, given rapid growth, development, and economic empowerment of the people.
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has predicted that the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) will decline as Dangote Refinery and other local refineries commence full operations.
Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, April 1, NIPSS Director-General Ayo Omotayo expressed optimism that fuel prices would fall once more refineries become operational.
He projected that petrol prices could drop to around N750 per litre before the end of the year with a more stable exchange rate.
“We’re looking at it coming down as low as N750 before the end of the year. And of course, foreign exchange will still drop to about 1.3 before the end of the year, and it is going to continue like that as more of our refineries come into place.
Omotayo acknowledged the current economic hardships but insisted that the policy would benefit Nigerians in the long run.Traditional Nigerian cuisine
“The gains at this time are very little, but in the long run, we will make up for whatever sacrifices we have made today as Nigerians” he stated
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that a deal for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations is expected to be finalized before the April 5 deadline.
U.S. President Donald Trump
The deadline, set by legislation passed in January, mandates TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. assets or face a nationwide ban due to national security concerns.
Multiple non-Chinese firms have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Private equity firm Blackstone is considering a minority investment, potentially joining existing non-Chinese shareholders such as Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic.
In a strategic move to facilitate the sale, Trump suggested that he might consider a reduction in tariffs on China, acknowledging that Chinese regulatory approval may be required for the deal to proceed.
The White House has been actively involved in negotiations to ensure that TikTok remains operational in the U.S. while addressing national security risks.
With TikTok’s 170 million American users watching closely, the outcome of the sale is expected to have a major impact on the social media landscape and the broader tech industry.
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