The Dawanau International Market, Kano, has vowed to sanction any trader involved in bringing substandard grains or other food items to the market.
This disclosure followed the visit to the market on Wednesday by the President of Dawanau International Market Development Association, Muntaka Isa, and Chairman Board of Trustees, Abdullahi Maidoya, accompanied by the Kano State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Kasim Ibrahim, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federal Produce Inspection Services, Kano, Hajiya Fatima Yakubu Usman, representatives from the police and Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Alhaji Isa disclosed that the two warehouses with about 2,000 bags of wheat suspected to be substandard were sealed by the Dawanau Market Development Authority.
The crackdown on the perpetrators, he added, began after over 50 containers of products from the market, believed to have been adulterated, were rejected by some international customers.
He however hinted that the NAFDAC on Wednesday took samples of the products suspected to be substandard to test their quality through the laboratory.
“We have come, we have seen and sampled the products. We shall send it to the laboratory and wait for results and write our report. If the products are fine, they would be allowed in the market, if the result is otherwise we shall go ahead and carry out destruction,” Kano State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Kasim Ibrahim, said.
According to the market officials, the association has set up a committee to identify and fish out the culprits for necessary sanctions and prosecution.
The market’s association’s President said the association has sought the assistance of the relevant government agencies such as federal ministries of Trades and Investment, Police Affairs, Health, and Justice to work with the association’s Quality Control Committee at the market for necessary action.
“Our hearts are pure; whenever we discover any substandard or harmful product in the market, we clear it off from the market.
“Apart from that, we also trace the sources of substandard products found to stop subsequent smuggling of the products into the market.
“We are going to take action, by sanctioning the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others. And if anyone is given substandard items without his consent, they have the right to file a complaint before the commission and as well trace the source of the products to demand for refund of their money,” Isa said.
The market’s BoT head, Abdullahi Maidoya vowed: “We shall not fold our arms and watch few selfish and unpatriotic individuals tarnish the good image and reputation of our market built over the years.”
He said the association intends to embark on an intensive enlightenment and mobilisation campaign of traders in the market on the dangers of engaging in such evil crimes.
Maidoya then called on well-meaning marketers and traders of grains and other foodstuffs to expose or report anybody found involved in the unwholesome act of bringing substandard food items to the market to harm consumers.