THE ROLE OF NATIONAL AGENCY FOR FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND CONTROL (NAFDAC) IN CONSUMER PROTECTION IN NIGERIA.
(A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED SAT CHET WATER PACKAGING FIRMS IN ENUGU METROPOLIS)
ABSTRACT
This study focused on National Agency of Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in consumer protection in Nigeria (A case study of some selected satchet water-packaging firms in Enugu metropolis).The objectives of the study among others include.
Thy have to ensure that the regulated product offer for consumptions to inspected consumers are good quality save nutrition, efficacious and human health such that their effective control is necessary in other to avoid catastrophic consequences on the consumers.
Based on these primary and secondary data your called using questionnaire and interview guide the population of the study included consumers in Enugu and members of NAFDAC.
The researcher came up following finds.
To prevent the dumping of standard and in wholesome regulated product into Nigeria. In consultation with relevant stakeholders NAFDAC intends to work towards streaming distribution of regulated products through purpose built and authorized outlets to ensure quality of products. In the view of above findings, recommendations on how improvements can be made were offered.
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
1.1.       INTRODUCTION                                                        
1.2.       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM                
1.3.       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY                                 
1.4.       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY                            
1.5.       SCOPE OF THE STUDY                                             
CHAPTER TWO
2.1. CONSUMER PROTECTION: AN OVERVIEW
2.2. HISTORICAL  DIMENSION OF CONSUMERISM  
2.3 CONSUMER PROTECTION OR CONSUMERISM
       IN NIGERIA CONTEXT
2.4. NEED FOR BETTER OF MORE EFFECTIVE
CONSUMER PROTECTION IN NIGERIA
2.5 FORM OF CONSUMER PROTECTION IN NIGERIA
2.6. PROBLEMS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
2.7 LAWS THAT ENHANCE CONSUMER PROTECTION
2.8. THE MAJOR FEDERAL REGULATORY AGENCIES IN
NIGERIA                                                                               
2.9. COMPANY PROFILE                                       
2.10. RAGOLIS SPRING WATER                          
CHAPTER THREE
 DISCUSSION OF THE MAIN TOPIC                   
3.1 NAFDAC PERFORMANCE RELATIVE TO
      CONSUMER PROTECTION                             
3.2. THE PROTECTION OF PACKAGED WATER          
3.3  TYPES OF WATER AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS47
3.4  REGISTRATION OF PACKAGED WATER
CHAPTER FOUR
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS AND
CONCLUSION                                                                     
4.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS                              
4.2 RECOMMENDATION                                       
4.3 CONCLUSION                                                   
BIBLIOGRAPHY                                                     
CHAPTER ONE
1.1.      INTRODUCTION
            NAFDAC was established by decree is of 1993 as amended by decree No 1999 to regulate and control importation. Exportation, manufacturing, advertisement, distribution sale and use of food, drugs cosmetics medical devices, the target chemicals bottled water, all non as regulated product.
The important of food and drugs to man and animal particularly is very obvious.  They need food in order to grow and sustain life. While life goes on and because of the inherent deposition to illness, the organs of the body may not always function properly such body dysfunction may be due to infection arising from the intake of contaminated food or water.  It may also result from the effect of corrosive or poisonous chemicals on the body or due to breakdown following exhaustive work or degeneration of the body organs.
These situation of ill health provide the compelling need for drug in order to modify functioning of the body and restore it to normal to be acceptable, the drugs must not be deleterious to the body but should rather produce a positive effect which leader to restoration of normal life. In like manner, cosmetics should have no harmful effect on the body to which they are applied.  It is the duty of government to protect the health and the citizens.  The challenge in this regard, a part from that of provide treatment facilities for the sick is to prevent the hazards arising from hurl hole some foods, ineffective, substandard and adulterate drugs, toxic and corrosive cosmetics and chemicals as well as contaminated water.
1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
            Foods, drugs, cosmetics water etc are common products, there is no single home where soap, salt, vegetable oil, body cream, water, paracetamol, tooth paste etc are not used daily. Where as for other product like clothing, intensil, furniture which quality can sensorial be rightly appraised it is not so with the former products for example can any individual rightly and safety declare the constituents of his favourite imported or local biscuits just with his sensory organ? It is impossible.  This is because to do such requires.
i.                    Determining the condition under which the product is manufactured.
ii.                  Ascertaining its physicochemical and microbiological constituents.
iii.                Determining the toxicity on human being
iv.                Ensuring that its constituent is what the label says it is etc.
v.                  Determining whether the prepared food has more nutritional value than another.
vi.                Ascertaining whether the performance of the product will meet consumers need.
1.3       OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
            Prior to the creation of NAFDAc in 1992, the control and regulation of food, Drugs, cosmetics, chemical and packaged water was seriously hampered by bureaucratic bottlenecks among other factors.  
The decision of government to create the agency in 1992 was therefore informed by desire to ensure a more effective control of food Drugs and other regulated products.  During the inauguration of the NAFDAC council in December 1992 the minister of health professor, Olikoye Rasome Kuti had this to say “NAFDAC as an agency is being inaugurated today to give a frontal attack to the health problems arising from foods, chemicals drugs, cosmetics, medicine and similar regulated product without the inhibition of the civil service setting.
“Furthermore they have to ensure that the regulated product other for consumptions to unsepted consumers are of good quality save nutritious efficacious and wholesome as desire.  This product have a greatest impact on human health such that their effective control is necessary in other to avoid catastrophic consequences on the consumers.
There is also an economic exertion that control which is to ensure that on suspecting consumer does not spend his hand and money in the purchase of fake and adulterated product.
1.4              SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Employing the services of trained unbiased in dependent and experiences personnel from various field of study.
Using some sophisticated scientific equipment.
Dealing with similar regulator body of foreign countries informing the public (consumers of their findings) formulating laws to back up control on industries.
They will offered us who are normally big barrows have money and influence and as usually employ any types of approaches of the officers from procuring the agencies mandate and some times planned any type of malicious alleviations on staff, if or to ensure that the product activities are sustained.  Public are not coming fault they give us tips on where unwholesome regulated produce have been produced.
Since no individual consume or group of manufacturers can do this solely and without prejudice, it bellow the government (neither the manufacturers nor the consumers) to set up a factual body to exercise this duty in exercise this mandate on behalf of Nigerian.  Government, NAFDAC is unique in that its multidisciplinary staff including scientist, pharmacists, lawyers and administrators work interactive to make decisions that effect Nigerians in particularly and foreigners in general.
1.5              SCOPE OF THE STUDY
In Nigeria, this is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Health.  Within the ministry and until 31st December, 1992, that responsibility devolved on the department of food and drugs administration and controlling (FDAC).  The birth of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as a parastatals of ministry was necessitated by the need to overcome a number of difficulties which had militated against the attainment of the goals of the former FDAC department.  These difficulties arose from the encapsulation of the department within the ministry and were inevitable linked with the normal bureaucratic ministerial positions which are manifest in slow mobilization of ideas, men and materials for productive work, inadequate resource acquisition utilization and management, slow disciplinary and poor reward and poor finding of activities necessary for effective design and implementation of programmes.
They are traceable to a lack of awareness by public in practical terms of the sensitivity and relevance of matter concerning control measures on drugs cosmetics water and chemicals to both preventive and curative health care.  Such control measure when executed successfully provided guaranteed saving of a high percentage of the expenditure by the government and individual to cure or relive illness.
Another very important reason for the establishment of NAFDAC was the need to separate the control functions of the former FDAC which relate the inspection, product registration and regulations, well as evaluation and control of product quality from its functions relating to the production, procurement, supply and distribution of drugs.
NAFDAC was thus established by Decree No 15 of 1993 (commencement date 1st October, 1992) as a parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Health to carry out among other things, all the control functions of the former FDAC while the service functions remain within the ministry.