Nigeria Daily Water Consumption Costs N8 Billion
According to the The Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii water consumed in Nigeria daily, ranging from bottle water to pure water is about N8 billion.
This he revealed at a forum organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
According to Orhii, “Water is a fast growing business in this country. In Nigeria today, water constitutes about N8 billion daily.
“Each bottle water cost N50 at the minimum, with the population of Nigeria which is over 167 million people, 100 million Nigerians take one bottle water per day, am not counting water used during parties, am not counting those who brush their teeth or wash their hands with bottle water, am counting those who drink a bottle per day, to satisfy their thirst. When you multiply N50 with 100 million, is about five billion. Then the sachet water, called pure water, 167 million Nigerians are taking it, it constitute about N3 million.”
Speaking on registration of products, he said,
“We are stringent about requirement, we are not killing business. If somebody has submitted all the application and document required, within 90 days it will be registered, this is what I concluded with my people when I came in as the DG.”
Mr. Goodie Ibru, President LCCI, also explained that complaints from companies, fueled a survey on the activities of some public regulatory agencies including NAFDAC, and discovered that businesses are increasingly at the receiving end, following delay in registration and certification of products, multiplicity and arbitrary charges, frequently of visits that come with costs to the companies, overlap functions with other agencies, excessive human interface in operational framework and collection of excessive quantity of products supposedly as samples.
Ibru said, “I want to appeal that as the agency carries out its regulatory functions, there is need for collaboration and understanding with business operators who are already burdened with challenges of infrastructural deficiencies.”
Culled from Vanguard Nigeria, Image: WaterAidNigeria