By Hassan Zaggi
In an effort to halt disasters and accidents occasioned by the poor handling of chemicals in the country, the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (ICCON), has said that all importers and handlers of chemicals must register and get certification from them.
The President of the ICCON, Prof. Fanna Abdulrahaman who stated this at its 16th workshop and induction ceremony of over 200 professionals in Abuja, said that the move is aimed at protecting Nigerians and also creating jobs for the teeming chemists professionals in the country.
The workshop was with the theme: “Safety and Health in the Use of Chemicals.”
According to Prof. Abdulrahaman: “I am glad to mention that the office of the National Security Adviser has commenced the implementation of the regulation on the inclusion of ICCON certified chemists as technical officers for the application of End User Certificate to import high priority chemicals.
“There are very important key chemicals that are being imported all the time, for which the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has the sole responsibility of certifying that those chemicals coming in are the right ones.
“From our collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), things that are specific to chemistry have been removed from there and every company that is to import some specific chemicals will now need certification from us. They will also need a technical officer who is also a chartered chemist. Otherwise, they will not get the license to import.”
While giving the breakdown of the professionals inducted during the workshop, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ICCON, Jwalshik Wilford, said that among 220 people being inducted, about 78 are technical officers from corporate companies that have registered with ICCON, while 98 were for the membership and 46 are fellows.
