NAFDAC DG to meet with stakeholders in foods, drug productions in Abia

…As Gov Otti promises free CAC registration for SMEs.

Emelam Udo, Umuahia.

Moji Adeyeye, Director General of National Agency For Food and Drug Law Administration and Control, NAFDAC, is scheduled to visit Abia and hold meeting with stakeholders and the business community.

Okey Kanu, Commissioner for Information and Culture disclosed this at Government House, Umuahia while briefing Journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting chaired by Governor Alex Otti.

He said, during Adeyeye’s visit in the state scheduled for May, 15, she would meet with stakeholders and business community in the state particularly those in Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMSEs,) involved in food, health and various medications.

“,There is this drive towards ensuring that there’s compliance with certain standards in all those fields to ensure that those those who produce the things that people consume stick to certain standards to safeguard the lives of the people” said Kanu.

The Abia Information boss further hinted that during the visit of the NAFDAC boss, Government would provide free 150 CAC certificates to Abians to complement 25 others which NAFDAC promised to provide

” During the engagement, the state government will provide about by 150 free CAC registrations for Abians through the Ministry of Digital Economy and SMEs ” said the Information boss.

Kanu also said that would tomorrow flag off the reconstruction of the 3.5km Osisioma-Ekeakpara road which he noted was a major gateway into the Osisioma Industrial complex.

He hinted that the road equally leads to the NNPC depot, Osisioma.

“That road is a very important one because it is infrastructural facilities that will drive the Osisioma Industrial Complex which the state government has started rebuilding so on Wednesday his excellency will be at ABA to flag the road off”, the Commissioner disclosed.

He equally announced that the Governor would same day flag off the reconstruction of the 2.5km Umuode- Bakassi road Aba which had lots of potential to spark off economic development of the state.

Responding to questions on protest by tricycle (Keke) operators in Umuahia, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma said there was no increase in the tickets nor loading fee for the operators.

He assured that government would investigate the allegations and stressed on the need for the leadership of the tricycle operators to engage the government on any issue or policy of government that affected them negatively.

“There is no increment of any kind. There is no loading fee. This is a new policy and I think the best thing would have been to engage government in a discussion.

” It’s obvious they were in a hurry to go and protest. Because the government has treated them with so much compassion and kindness, it doesn’t mean that government is stupid. Don’t forget that when the governor came on board there was tax holiday for them for months . Today, there is nothing like loading fee. In the past there was loading fee. The most important thing is that we will ensure that nobody is exploited.”said Ekeoma.

Uche Ukeje, the Director General, Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA), in his contribution said that the present administration was responsive, adding that if there were issues, the tricycle operators should engage the taskforce recently constituted by the government.

He maintained that the idea behind the painting of the tricycles was security because the painting went with numbering of the tricycles.