Mr. Gabriel Osondu is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Safebrooks Nigeria Limited. In this interview with ANTHONY AWUNOR, he speaks on water production and the need for proper regulation in the industry.
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| Mr. Osondu |
What exactly does Safebrooks Nigeria Limited do?
Safebrooks Nigeria Limited is a water development company and we sell equipment for water purification. We install equipment for all application for water ranging from domestic, industrial and commercial water. We are equally into wastewater management. We design and install water treatment plants. We are members of the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria. It is an agency that regulates the practice of public analyses. With that, we understand the problems inherent in water. Water is essential for human survival. We can do without food but sometimes, not without water. We specialize in the business of washing water. Many people, if not most people know how to use water to wash but only a few can wash water. We are in that business of washing water, to make that water clean again for human use. We have different classes of water. The one we are familiar with is the potable water. Potable water means that it is good enough for drinking. We have standards for that. At the global level, we have the World Health Organization (WHO) that sets standards for parameters that will determine whether water is potable or not. We also work with global standard and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) standard also. Of course, NAFDAC standard is taken from global standard.
Having been in the business of water for many years, tell us how lucrative it is?
It will be an understatement to talk about how lucrative water business is. Of course, it is lucrative. One good thing I have come to understand in the practice is that, so many people look at water as a common business but I tell you that water packaging, as it is today is a big industry. It is purely manufacturing. You don’t dabble into it and expect success. You must know the rudiments of the business because there are technicalities. And that is why we consult for those going into the business of water packaging, from conception to completion. We take you through the concept and what you want. So when you complete it and get approved, we take you through NAFDAC approval and get your water in the market. Then you run from there. If it is what you see others doing, thinking it is simple and you get into it, you may not get it right. Some people probably get into it because they are afraid of their retirement benefits or just buy equipment because they see it. By the time you get into it, you find out that it is more than meet the eyes. So what we do is to guide you and do the SWOT analysis. We do due diligence for the industry. We do a business study for the industry and you have a clear picture of where you are going and how much you need for the business. How much cash flow do you need and all that? My advice is that before you go into the water business, get somebody that understands the business and that is why we are there.
How do you ensure that water coming out is of high quality? How are you people regulated?
I must start by telling you that water is the cheapest medicine anybody can buy. Water is medicinal and of course, water is one of the classes of food. You cannot do without water because it is very essential. You cannot digest the food you eat without water. The quality of water you take into your body determines the quality of life you live. Water packaging or production is a regulated industry. It is not an all comers affair. In that regard, NAFDAC as an agency regulates water production in Nigeria. We make sure we play by the rules. Today, we marked the 25th anniversary of NAFDAC that was set up to regulate the production and sale of food, drug and cosmetics. When you come to food, water is part of food. I can tell you that from statistics, we have about 160 000 water producers in Nigeria. If there is no regulation, we will be grappling with epidemics in our hands. But with proper regulations, you can see that things are going well. NAFDAC has done well but there is need for improvement. Nigeria is a big country. So it is an enormous responsibility and they must wake up to it. Again, the world is a changing environment.
So NAFDAC has to work to improve on what the world is doing when you get to local standard. There is what we call the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), I am looking at a time Nigeria will start exporting bottled water to other parts of the world, including Africa and Europe. Before bottled water was imported into this country and at a time, we had two principal producers: Ragolis, Swan and eventually, Eva came in. Now, they are uncountable; and it means, you don’t need to import pure water again. I am looking forward to other sectors of the economy to develop options whereby we will stop importing simple things that can be manufactured and packaged in this country. Water is also very essential for other products. For example, if you get it right in the water, you get it right in other types of foods; for example in the drinks and beverages.
NAFDAC has done well but they need to do better. For instance, when premises of water packaging industry are registered, there is a need for regulation and reregulation for improvements of such facilities to ensure that the standard you started with is still retained. Because of the economy, we have a tendency to come down from what it should be because of one issue or the other. There should be a measure for NAFDAC to keep everybody that is producing water on their toes. Any snag will eventually lead to something that could be undesirable. Let me tell you. Water is the only packaged food without preservatives. So what goes to it must be done in a very hygienic environment so that there will be no form of contamination. We need to take care of the water we drink.
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