NAFDAC Responds to Police Query on Zobo Seller's Registration Number

A video going viral on Facebook shows police officers in Delta State asking a Zobo seller about the lack of a National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) registration number on the drink.

In the video, one officer can be seen shaking a bottle of the drink and questioning if it has a NAFDAC registration number.

“This is ordinary Zobo. I am a content creator, and I will put it on Facebook,” a man supporting the hawker said.

“Put it (on Facebook),” a police officer replied.

Another officer, holding the drink, stated: “As far as I am concerned, this thing is supposed to have a NAFDAC number. Does this thing have a NAFDAC number? As a police officer, don’t I have the right to ask?”

People gathered around to watch the confrontation.

Zobo is a popular Nigerian drink made from dried hibiscus flowers. It can be enjoyed plain or with flavors like pineapple, ginger, garlic, and other spices.

Police Support Their Officers

Bright Edafe, the police spokesperson in Delta, defended the officers, saying they were just doing their jobs.

Mr Edafe said he expected the media to criticize the content creator for questioning the officers who were performing their duties.

“The police officers are doing their jobs, but some carried cameras and asked police operatives why a drink should have a NAFDAC number,” he said.

He argued that products monitored by NAFDAC must follow the agency’s rules, and questioned why anyone would oppose the need for a registration number on something people consume.

He also mentioned the agency’s role, stating that consumable goods under NAFDAC’s regulation must meet the necessary standards.

NAFDAC Explains Registration Rules

On the other hand, Christiana Obiazikwor, NAFDAC’s spokesperson, explained that the agency does not oversee Zobo sold in simple containers without packaging, sealing, or labeling.

“If you produce Zobo without packaging it, putting a label, without sealing it. It is not under NAFDAC’s purview to regulate it. But when you now package, seal, and put a label, then it becomes under NAFDAC regulation. But if you just put ordinary Zobo in a container to sell, it is not under NAFDAC,” she said.

She likened this to cooking oil sold in open markets, saying it is outside the agency’s control until it is packaged, sealed, and labeled.

When asked about the incident in Delta State, Ms Obiazikwor remarked: “It is supposed to have a NAFDAC number if it is packaged and labelled.”

A picture of the drink shared on Facebook showed it in a labeled bottle.

NAFDAC’s explanation shows that the packaging and labeling of the product are key in deciding if it falls under the agency's regulations.