The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control took action on Thursday by closing down four unauthorized bakeries in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State for operating without proper licenses and in unhygienic conditions.
This information was disclosed by Chukwuma Oligbu, the Director of NAFDAC in the South-South Zone, through a statement released in Port Harcourt.
The discovery of these bakeries was a part of NAFDAC’s effort to eradicate the presence of unqualified and substandard bakeries in the state and the region.
After the closure of the bakeries, the owners were summoned to the NAFDAC zonal office in Port Harcourt for further inquiry. Investigations are still ongoing, and it was cautioned that individuals who violate NAFDAC regulations may face legal actions and potential imprisonment upon conviction.
The statement read, “The bakeries were operating without registration licences and with very poor hygienic practice.
“Pans with dough were being kept on the floor, the makeshift buildings were with open and uncovered windows, and bakery workers were not well kitted with Personal Protective Equipment.
“Llister generator sets were sited inside the production rooms, and there was no factory flow, etc.”
The NAFDAC director said the bakeries shut include, “Reigns Bakery – Okabie Street, off Bakery Road, Rumuigbo in Ohio/Akpor LGA, Dvine Freedom bread – 3, Omasi Street, Rumuomasi Street I’m Port Harcourt.
The others are De Heroes Bakery – Wonda Street, Psychiatric Road in Ohio/Akpor LGA and The Lord’s Abundant Bakery – 5, Elder Ezebunwo Street off Obi Wali Road, Rumuigbo in Ohio/Akpor LGA.
“The four bakeries visited were subsequently shut down, and the owners were directed to report at the Zonal office for questioning while investigations continue.
“Samples of the produced bread were taken for laboratory analysis,” the statement noted.
Oligbu urged manufacturers of NAFDAC-regulated products to seek guidance from the agency to ensure compliance, warning that NAFDAC will crack down on uncooperative and illegal producers in Rivers State and the entire South-South Zone, making it difficult for them to operate.
