Nigerians have been alerted by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) about the operations of a faith-based organisation called Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministries, which is headed by Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin.
According to the agency, the ministry is misleading and deceiving the public by utilising its name, NAFDAC.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of NAFDAC, stated on Sunday that none of the items offered and sold by the organisation are registered with the agency.
It stated, “NAFDAC seeks to alert the public about the operations of a faith-based organisation, Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, which utilises the NAFDAC name to deceive the unwary people.
“NAFDAC has recently been inundated with petitions from concerned citizens about Senior Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin of Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, Km 5 Effurun, Sapele Road, Delta State, on a Miracle Water and Miracle Soap being advertised with healing and miracle claims and sold to unsuspecting members of the public by the Spiritual Ministry.”
The Minister used social media to promote the usage of Miracle Water and Miracle Soap to treat barrenness. He claimed that using the soap will result in the women having twins.
He publicly informed his congregation that the soap is NAFDAC-registered. As a result, the public began to visit the office to verify the claims. “The petitioners also submitted the following Spiritual Ministry items to NAFDAC to verify the false claims. The items include Miracle & Healing Water, River Jordan Water, Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida, A New Beginning Mount Camel Miracle Water, Water of Life, Miracle Water from The Pool of Bethsaida (1L), A New Beginning Pool of Bethsaida Water, and Father Smelt Perfume.
The agency stated that upon receipt of the petitions, it contacted the Delta State Coordinator via the agency’s Director of Post Marketing Surveillance to determine the existence or records of any transactions with Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministries and the products in the Delta State Office.
“The Coordinator was also asked to visit the Ministry to verify the reality of the allegations in the petitions and take any required regulatory action on the Ministry’s manufacturing site where Miracle water and other goods are manufactured. The State Coordinator secretly purchased Miracle Water (25cl) from the Ministries for 3000 naira and took pictures.
“On Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, the State Coordinator Delta State visited the Mercy Land Ministry and met with the Head of Service, Mr. Ogunleye Fufeyin, and the Chief Security Officer. Despite the fact that there was proof of purchase, the administrators denied making Miracle and Healing water or soap. He stated that just the logo and address on the label were theirs, not the product.The HOS also stated that they only have a pool of Bethsaida water, which is spiritual and artificial. The HOS sought time to meet with other employees and returned. He returned after 30 minutes, refusing to cooperate and requesting to see the CSO.
A team from NAFDAC’s Investigation and Enforcement division, along with the Federal Task Force on Unwholesome Processed Foods and Counterfeit and Fake Drugs, visited the Ministry on August 27, 2024, with the intention of starting an investigation into the manufacturing site or the place of purchase to gather samples for laboratory analysis. However, the officials refused to cooperate with the team.Officials received letters inviting them to report on August 28th, but they were not honoured.
Instead, the corporation sent a legal document to NAFDAC Headquarters in Abuja on August 28th, 2024, and requested that they return on September 3rd, 2024, to organise their documents before entering. The Agency subsequently gave the Prophet until the 29th to report to the Investigation and Enforcement NAFDAC Office in Asaba for further investigation.
“Investigations and Enforcement Asaba waited for Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries officials to turn up in accordance with their prior request to report for the start of the probe, but they refused. On September 3rd, 2024, they forwarded some documents instead of requesting extra time to report,” it explained.
The faith organisation further stated that they had entered into a production contract agreement with Globod Table Water Km 4, DSC Motorway, Otokutu, Delta State, without the knowledge of the NAFDAC State Office in Delta State, in a document that was made available to the NAFDAC Office on the evening of September 3.
The agency declared that the act violates the current laws and guidelines pertaining to commercial production. The Globod Table Water factory was sealed by NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement as part of our ongoing investigation into the production, marketing, and promotion of unregistered and unhealthy Miracle Water under the guise of a fake NAFDAC registration number.
“At this moment, it is evident that Christ Mercy Land Delivery Ministries, KM 5, is not prepared to present itself for an examination into the production and advertisement of alleged false, unwholesome, and unlicensed miracle products.
“NAFDAC would like to inform the public that none of the items being marketed and sold are registered with NAFDAC. The public is also warned to avoid purchasing any of these Miracle items.
NAFDAC is a scientific organisation that relies on reliable scientific data before registering any product.
“In the interim, we will continue to investigate this faith organization’s activities in relation to products within our mandates that have been reported to be made and marketed by them. I’d want to take this occasion to warn faith-based organisations about illicit production of regulated products without the necessary regulatory procedures,” it continued.
Adeyeye, however, reminded Nigerians of the agency’s determination to continue protecting their health.
In Essence
The central issue here is not only about whether the products in question are effective or harmful but about the integrity of the regulatory process. By allegedly using NAFDAC’s name without proper registration and marketing products with claims that could mislead vulnerable individuals, the Christ Mercy Land Deliverance Ministries has potentially violated consumer protection laws.
The sale of unregistered products with unverified health benefits could endanger public health, particularly in a country where many people might turn to such products out of desperation.
Furthermore, the ministry’s reluctance to cooperate with NAFDAC’s investigation raises suspicions and undermines its credibility.
If the products were legitimate and safe, there would be no reason to evade regulatory scrutiny.
The situation reflects a larger problem in Nigeria, where faith-based organizations sometimes blur the lines between spirituality and commerce, often at the expense of public welfare.
