NAFDAC Laboratories: Rising from the ashes

Last year, NAFDAC studied a yogurt sample in Lagos and found out that the product contained some banned substance, benzoic acid. When NAFDAC sent out its report, the yogurt-producing company kicked against it, saying it was a witch-hunt by NAFDAC. NAFDAC’s management was appalled by the company’s audacity. Repeated tests were done, yet the same […]

Last year, NAFDAC studied a yogurt sample in Lagos and found out that the product contained some banned substance, benzoic acid. When NAFDAC sent out its report, the yogurt-producing company kicked against it, saying it was a witch-hunt by NAFDAC. NAFDAC’s management was appalled by the company’s audacity. Repeated tests were done, yet the same result. NAFDAC refused to shift ground.

The company on its own, took samples of its product to Europe for analysis and lo and behold, the same result was produced. The company thereafter, honourably owned up and apologised to NAFDAC. It was discovered that a chemical reaction between two compounds produced what was not wanted in the product.

Hi-tech equipment

NAFDAC has acquired many hi-tech equipment and trained many personnel to make its laboratory work robust. The agency has seven laboratories spread across the various regions of the country. They serve the respective states that make up the regions.

The biggest is the one called Zonal Laboratory in Agulu, Anambra State.  It was commissioned on October 15,  2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan. The spacious facility has 10 laboratories.

There are also the NAFDAC Central Laboratory Complex in Oshodi and the Central Drug and Control Laboratory situated in Yaba. The former has the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) used for analysing vitamins. The Chief Technologist in this laboratory, Mrs Odofin Oluyemisi, said 700 samples are analysed here every week. She said the agency ensures that preservatives like benzoic acid are not present in liquid food like yogurt.

Kinds of NAFDAC’s laboratories

NAFDAC has the following: cosmetic laboratory for testing baby powder, toilet soap, creams etc; food registration Laboratory with Fume Chamber for analysing fumes from organic solvents; Food Compliance Laboratory with Ion Exchange Chromatography (IEC); Medical Devices Laboratory for testing condoms, syringes, hand gloves, diapers etc; Farm Control Laboratory; Instrument Laboratory; Pharmaci-Chemical Laboratory for analysing herbal products; Pharmaceutical Control Laboratory; Pharmacognocy Laboratory; Microbiology Laboratory; Pesticide Formulation Laboratory checks the kind of pesticide used on food. It also analyses the fertiliser farmers use; Water Laboratory; Alcoholic Beverage Laboratory etc.

Not all the seven laboratories have all the needed equipment so quite often, samples are exchanged among the facilities in the different zones. For any test, six parameters are involved and each is done by different persons. Samples are analysed and results sent to the head office for necessary action.

Management of the laboratories

Mr Charles Nwachukwu, an Assistant Director in the agency heads the Agulu laboratory. He spoke with our reporter recently in Agulu on how the laboratory is being managed.  Nwachukwu who revealed that an average of 500,000 samples (of food, drugs and cosmetics) are analysed in a month, said if not for epileptic power supply, operations would have been perfect.

He explained, “we have gone far in documentation and I think WHO [World Health Organisation], will not be disappointed if it visits this lab. We have machine coding—numbering of the machines because when you do an analysis, you make reference. If you use HPLC for example, you have to say this is the PHCL used, instrument number so, so that if another person does the test with another PHCL and does not get similar report, then we will know that one of the machines is having a problem. We ensure that our results are reproducible and they meet international standards.

“We have 10 typical laboratories and eight non typical laboratories. Our staff are doing well. We have two standby 500kv generators. We receive 33,000 litres of diesel every month. All equipment are on UPS so as to safeguard equipment from break down due to power fluctuation.”

The new focus

Mrs Stella Denloye is NAFDAC’s Director of Laboratory Services. She said NAFDAC is now more interested in contaminants in foods, drugs, medicaments and cosmetics. For this reason, the laboratory work is geared towards identifying elements like lead, ethanol, benzene, zirconium hydroquinone etc.

Denloye said acquisition of relevant equipment like Truscan, Gas Chromatograph with Mass Spectrometer, HPLC etc has helped the agency a great deal. Gas Chromatograph with Mass Spectrometer is used for analysing unknown products. It separates compounds and specifies their fragmentation patterns. Denloye explained that some of the machines analyse up to 700 samples a week adding that most of the equipment are replaced after five years.

She revealed that NAFDAC is now collaborating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (AEA) to strengthen its laboratory work.

She said the Research Laboratory used in analysing bromate has helped NAFDAC tremendously in the battle against bromating by bakers. She confirmed that bread producers have been successfully made to look away from bromate while baking.

Mrs Oluwabaniwu Bosede, an Assistant Director, is head, Micotoxin Laboratory. She said NAFDAC has taken the battle against fungi seriously. According her, fungi produce toxins in many varieties of food consumed by Nigerians. “These toxins cause cancer in the body. They are found in maize, millet, rice, pepper, groundnut, tea and coffee,” she enumerated.

Challenges

The biggest challenge is keeping the equipment working continuously in the midst of power shortage. All the laboratories depend on generators and in a situation where the power machines go off, the laboratory work suffers. Also, the high cost or shortage of diesel used for powering the plants puts the managers of these laboratories on stress.

Then importers constitute their own trouble. There are a lot of illegal routes through which products enter Nigeria. So, as the agency stations its staff at the ports, believing it is testing whatever crosses the borders into Nigeria, numerous others are coming in through illegal routes.

The laboratories, particularly those in Lagos, Yaba and Oshodi are not spacious due to limited space and it is quite discomforting working in them.

Helping local producers

NAFDAC has supervised and assisted a private pharmaceutical company to build the largest infusion company in Nigeria. It is called Juhel Nigeria Limited. The company, which has its factory in Awka, Anambra State, has the capacity to produce 150,000 bottles of infusion a day. The company owned by Chief Ifeanyi Okoye, was commissioned by President Jonathan on 15th October 2010.

According to NAFDAC’s Head of Information, Abubakar Jimoh, NAFDAC’s interest in this project was borne out of the need to discourage importation of medicaments and encourage investments in the country, at the same time, producing according to specified standards. He maintained that NAFDAC is not only interested in destroying but rather in producing.

Nigeria’s continuous dependence on foreign products has negatively affected local manufacturers. The sooner government works towards helping local manufacturers, the better for the country.

However, the task of keeping NAFDAC equipment working 24 hours is really herculean.