There is a proliferation of impure honey in major malls and shops in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. The spread of low quality honey products compromises the health of Abuja residents, Amos ABBA and Rebecca AKINREMI examine five popular honey products in Abuja supermarkets. In the report, they also expose how a NAFDAC official contributes to the circulation of unwholesome honey brands.
Amos ABBA and Rebecca AKINREMI
MANY people who cannot do without sweetener often opt for pure and natural honey from honeycombs made by bees due to its nutritional benefits.
The ICIR randomly visited several shopping outlets in Abuja to purchase “pure unadulterated honey” as the inscription on their containers implied. The findings revealed that consumers of honey products may not be having full information about the products sold to them as “pure honey”.
Laboratory analysis showed that the presence of pathogenic bacteria to high microbial levels, the hygiene and safety status of many of the brands of ‘pure honey’ consumed by the majority of Abuja residents puts their health at risk. And these are brands that bear NAFDAC ‘s mark of approval.
The ICIR’s investigation reveals that some NAFDAC officials are complicit in the proliferation of adulterated honey sold in the capital city.
A compromised official could corrupt the process
In the name of offering “assistance”, officials at NAFDAC’s national office located in Wuse Zone 7, Abuja collect bribes in order to help honey vendors who want to register their products obtain the agency’s approval without going through the regular quality control.
The ICIR reporter, posing as son who wants to get the NAFDAC license for his mother to start her honey business, reached out to a NAFDAC official who is reputed for helping vendors get registration approval through backdoor.
The official identified himself with his first name as Mike but True Caller App on mobile phone revealed his full name is Micheal Ikoro when contacted.
He agreed to meet with the reporter after exchange of several calls. A convenient time was fixed for a meeting in his office at NAFDAC’s headquarters where he promised to facilitate the process for a fee.
The ICIR reporter visited Mike at 11:15 am on Tuesday, 17 December 2019, explained to him that his mother urgently wanted to get her honey products approved by the agency so she could launch her business on a full scale.
“Does she have a shop in Abuja where she runs the honey business because she has to own a shop in Abuja before we can give her NAFDAC number for her to operate in Abuja,” he asked.
When The ICIR reporter replied in the affirmative, he reeled out the names of some documents required before he could secure NAFDAC’s approval number for the honey product.
“Even if the shop is one room you can divide the room into two parts where we can come for inspection though that is not a problem I can handle that aspect.
“But you’ll have to get Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC certificate to show that your business is registered and then the trademark certificate which I will use to help you apply and you will get everything on time,” he said.
The reporter told him the CAC certificate was not a problem but his mother doesn’t have the trademark certificate.
“You’ll have to get the trademark certificate first but I can get it for you,” he added. “I have a friend at the Ministry of Trade who will be able to get it for you within a week if you can pay ₦35,000, that is the price,” he said.
This conversation took place in the hallway because Mike shared office with other staff of the agency, their individual spaces are separated by wooden cubicles. And he wanted to have this conversation far from the earshot of the colleagues.
He assured the reporter that the process of application was supposed to take two weeks but he would be able to get through his connections within a week.
The process involved in obtaining a trademark certificate from the Federal Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment starts with the application at the trademarks and patent department of the ministry which could take at least two months if the trademark application is unchallenged before a certificate is issued.
When he was prodded about the cost of obtaining NAFDAC registration number for the honey product, he was reluctant to open up to the reporter until he is being paid by the reporter to indicate “readiness”.
