The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has enjoined Nigerians to stop patronizing ‘miracle’ water, soap and other unregistered and unwholesome products from faith-based organizations. The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, also warned faith organizations to henceforth desist from producing regulated products without requisite requirements.
Recently, the Investigation and Enforcement Department of NAFDAC sealed the Global Table Water factory for allegedly aiding and abetting the production, sale and advertisement of unregistered and unwholesome miracle water with a fake NAFDAC registration number. The product reportedly belongs to a faith-based organization, Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministry in Delta State. Arising from this, NAFDAC has alerted the public that none of the products being advertised and sold by the Church is registered with the agency, stressing that they should stop patronizing them.
The NAFDAC boss has revealed that the agency has been inundated with petitions on miracle water and miracle soap being advertised with healing and miracle claims and sold to the public by the spiritual ministry. The agency also alleged that some of these products are sold on the social media with claims that they heal barrenness and women who used the miracle soap would carry twins. According to NAFDAC, the contentious products include; Miracle and Healing Water; River Jordan Water; the Miracle Water from the Pool of Bethsaida; A New Beginning Mount Carmel Miracle Water; Water of life; and Father Smelled Perfume.
However, some supporters of the faith-based organization, including clerics had protested at the NAFDAC office in Asaba, Delta State. The protesters who wielded placards enjoined the agency to stop the attack on Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin, the spiritual leader of Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, and claimed that NAFDAC had no oversight on spiritual products. Some of the placards bore inscriptions such as “Spiritual products have spiritual backing, don’t need NAFDAC approval’ and “When it comes to spiritual matters, respect them.”
But, NAFDAC has insisted that it has the mandate to regulate products regardless of whether they are owned by religious organizations or individuals. The agency says that it is determined to investigate products that claim to be registered with the agency. According to its resident media consultant, Sayo Akintola, NAFDAC is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, packaged water, veterinary, and narcotics.
“NAFDAC is not a religious organization. It was not established to regulate religious products, several other religious organizations are claiming to have spiritual materials, and this has never bothered NAFDAC. But the moment you have a product that falls under our regulated products, definitely we have to get involved. If you also claim that the products carry the NAFDAC number, we will be involved. We are concerned about the health of the public,” Akintola explained.
We commend the NAFDAC for raising the timely alarm over the production and sale of unwholesome miracle water, soap, perfume and other products by some faith-based organization without the approval of the agency. It is worrisome that these products which have not been registered with NAFDAC are attributed with bogus healing powers including making women who used them to carry twins.
Since water, soap and even perfume fall under the regulation of NAFDAC, the agency not fail to perform its responsibility to ensure that they are safe for human consumption. Religious bodies including churches should not hide under the guise of faith and miraculous claims produce, advertise and sell to unsuspecting members of the public miracle water, soap and other products which are not registered by products.
Pastors and the so-called men and women of God should differentiate between faith products or spiritual products and food and other products which are regulated by NAFDAC. Water, soap and perfume and other food products are regulated by NAFDAC. It does not matter whether they are said to have spiritual miraculous or healing powers including the power to cure infertility and barrenness. Any person who engages in the production of water, soap and perfume, whether he is a pastor or a private individual must get approval from NAFDAC.
People should not hide under the cover of religion to commit illegality. Any of these food products, whether they have miraculous powers or not must be subjected to NAFDAC’s quality test and approval. There is the need to delineate between the world of belief and reality. Men of God should not deceive their members and unsuspecting public with unregistered healing water, soap and perfume.
The public should be circumspect in buying products with such bogus claims of miracle healing. We call on NAFDAC to beam its searchlight on other religious organizations with unregistered water, soap and other unwholesome faith-based products. There are indeed many of them across the country. All of them must be investigated forthwith.