Worried by the prevalence of illegal drug production in the country, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has compelled Nigerians to expose the shady deals of those involved in such acts, in line with the whistle blowing policy of the Federal Government.
The newly appointed NAFDAC director general, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call on Monday, urging citizens to collaborate with the agency to rid the country of such unlawful and dishonest acts, as well as to put a stop gap to sudden deaths attributed to the sharp practice.
Her words: “We are calling on the public to blow the whistle whenever they discover any form of illegal manufacturing or production of drugs within their vicinity. We will ensure utmost confidentiality”, she said at an event in Lagos on Monday according to Daily Post.
“Blow the whistle; most of these illegal production of drugs are done in the night,” she noted. Prof. Adeyeye who was represented by Abayomi Bolaji, a deputy director at the agency, explained how lack of manpower had prevented the agency’s representatives from going round the nooks and crannies of the country, to stop the activities of evil men involved in the circulation of fake drugs and abuse.
“One of the greatest challenges of the agency is shortage of manpower because Nigeria is a large and complex country, and its little manpower cannot be everywhere.
Lamenting the effects of counterfeit drugs to the society, she said it poses a public health hazard, waste consumers’ income and reduce incentives to engage in research, development and innovation.
“The result of the use of fake drugs can be poisoning, treatment failure, untreated disease and death. The magnitude of drug counterfeiting was much and required strong and sustained actions from governments, the industry and consumers.
“The agency has engaged in capacity building of its staff, reviewed NAFDAC laws and applied cutting-edge technologies to tackle drug counterfeiting,” she said.
In a related development, the Senate Roundtable on Drugs Abuse Epidemic in Nigeria, organised by the Nigerian Senate, was held in Kano.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, had expressed worry over the recurrent trend of drug abuse in the country and vowed that government would tackle the menace from its roots by going after importers and distributors of drugs.
