By BASHIR BELLO, Abuja.
The Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria, IPAN is an agency of the Federal* Ministry’ of Health and a professional Regulatory agency that was set up with the core mandates of providing *training, examination and registration of Public Analysts and regulating their practice and analypical laboratories.
This was made known on Thursday by the Registrar /CEO and a Fellow of Institute of Public Analysts (IPAN) Abuja, Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi Angara during hearing by House of Representatives oversight commitee on health chaired by Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu
He further explained that
“members of the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria who are registered by virtue of his/her knowledge, training, skill, competence and integrity, are authorized by law to analyse consumer and health-related products such as: Food, Drugs, Medical Devices, Cosmetics, Water, Chemicals, Chemically and Biologically-based Consumer Products.
Alhaji Angara also added that certificate issued by IPAN is a prima facie evidence tenable in any law court or tribunal in Nigeria regarding their composition, use, quality, safety and efficacy. He added that the certificate is an attestation of the composition, quality,safety and efficacy of products examined by a public analyst.
He also stated that other mandate of the agency is to determine what standard and skills of persons seeking to become registered as Public Analysts training and retraining of members .
He further started that the IPAN through its training workshops have generated employment opportunities for members . IPAN has also organised several mandatory training programs for its members. In addition the Institute’s laboratory is accredited to ISO 17025 standard
The Registrar rounded up by saying that,
“As of March this year, we have registered about 40 laboratories while over 30 are undergoing the process of registration and 6 analytical laboratories have been assisted to get International Standard Organization certificates.
Before the speech of the CEO of IPAN, the Chairman, House Commitee on Health Care Services, Dr. Tanko Sununu whose Commitee has the oversight function on IPAN explained that the whole excercise was to enhance accountablity, probity and to make sure that all records are properly kept”
