Health hazard: Experts call for urgent action against illegal ‘pure water’ factories

Professionals in the health sector have raised the alarm and called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to tackle illegal and unfit sachet (pure) water factories littered across the country.

Former Director of Pharmacy, Federal Ministry of Health, Ologun Taye Joseph (Rtd), led the call during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, Wednesday in Abuja.

The reaction is coming on the heels of an investigative report published by TheCable indicting 22 sachet water factories in Sokoto State producing contaminated water, while 12 others run with expired licenses.

The experts say the distribution of unhealthy drinking water is prevalent across Nigeria.

Joseph warned that the health challenges of substandard ‘pure water’ produced from several unapproved factories are escalating and becoming endemic, needing a multi-sectoral approach before it will be addressed.

He added that the rising cases of unapproved sachet water factories are bolstered by systemic failure, NAFDAC’s inability to regulate activities of non-state actors, and corruption.

Joseph said all hands must be on deck if the menace of unhealthy sachet water production across Nigeria is to be checked, re-stating that NAFDAC cannot alone stop the threat.

“The problem of contaminated pure water didn’t start today, and we (the Nigerian government) must have a multi-sectoral approach to the issue because it’s becoming a serious challenge in society right now.

“On one hand, it’s caused by the system’s failure in one way, and on the other hand, non-actors are upping their game in terms of state control.”

Joseph noted that corruption is not far-fetched in the reasons behind NAFDAC’s regulatory shortcomings. However, it may not be easily proven, “It’s difficult to prove corruption, but it is glaring now that some people are cutting corners, and it is not good for the nation’s health. There are compromises in terms of making a profit and then not using quality material, and some people don’t renew their rent when due, so there are myriads of issues that are embedded, and this also points out that there are corrupt practices underneath”.

He urged the government to address manpower gaps in NAFDAC and prioritize the use of technology in their operations, as well as massive sensitization of Nigerians.

“NAFDAC has to do more in terms of sensitization. Another approach is to co-opt some people who will be a team of inspectors in each state and inter-agency collaborations.

“NAFDAC is trying its best; however, they are very limited in manpower. They have to be able to challenge the volume of issues with them. Some people are retiring and leaving the organization for some reason or the other, and there seems to be no replacement,” Joseph advised.

Similarly, a medical practitioner and leadership consultant, Dr Victor Otubo, described the quality of sachet water produced and sold in the country as worrisome and a signal of the weaknesses of the Nigerian state.

Otubo alluded that corruption in the system and lack of consequence for corrupt acts were responsible for the booming illegal and unhealthy pure water businesses across the country while urging the Professor Mojisola Adeyeye-led agency to adopt the late Dora Akunyili’s style of administration to combat the problem.

He opined that the solution lies in NAFDAC adopting whistleblowing in their operations, increasing surveillance, and localizing industries in the same zone for easy monitoring and public-private partnership.

“People want to drink water every day. Water is very essential. Our human body is made up of water than any other stuff, that’s why there’s a need for proper regulation. Where there is poor political will or ability to manage things like this, that is where the government should employ two strategies – first is the public/private partnership, just like it is done in the United Arab Emirates, and second, create industrial zones so that factories can be easily monitored”.

Otubo urged parents to take extra measures for the water their wards consume by encouraging regular hand-wash at school and home and noting that the use of sanitizers and boiling of their water can go a long way to keep children away from diseases.

“the people who are most impacted by contaminated water are our children. Most kids don’t buy water on the road. They drink from home and in school. So I encourage parents to discuss this matter to ensure that the water that the kids have access to in schools and are drinkable water and also at home ensure the best practices are adhered to,” He advised.

On his part, an investigative journalist with TheCable, Abdulrasheed Hammad, blamed regulatory failure and corruption for the over 20 sachet water factories producing contaminated water for public consumption in Sokoto state.

Hammad revealed that sachet water samples from the factories tested in laboratory-confirmed contamination, lamenting that there has been no action taken against the companies indicted by the investigation but rather attacks against him for exposing the illegality.

“During the investigation, I was attacked and handcuffed at one of the factories I visited. The owners of the pure water factory were using DSS to threaten me, saying that I was going to be arrested if I failed to appear at their station, even after I had informed them I was no longer in Sokoto.

“It is sad that instead of doing the proper thing by doing further investigation into what I had reported, they went ahead and started haunting journalists that exposed them. This is so sad,” Hammad stated

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation.