The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has urged Nigerians to desist from patronising unregistered drugs and other consumables.
The Coordinator of the agency in Sokoto State, Mr. Garba Adamu, made the call on Thursday during a street sensitisation campaign organised in collaboration with the Community Development Service group of the National Youth Service Corps in Sokoto.
Adamu said that the agency would intensify efforts to safeguard the lives of the people by ensuring that products and services complied with stipulated production laws and regulations.
He explained that surveillance, patrol and inspection were routinely conducted by the agency’s officials at all levels.
He appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with the agency by ensuring that they patronised only registered drugs and consumables, as well as observed expiry dates at all times.
Adamu further appealed to the people to always report suspected cases of contamination, adulteration and other counterfeits to nearby NAFDAC offices and authorities for prompt attention.
The NAFDAC official decried the prevalence of men’s sexual performance-enhancing drugs, otherwise known as “manpower” in Nigerian markets.
According to him, most of such drugs are not registered with NAFDAC, and some of them are smuggled into the country.
He added that “many men have died using such drugs and their relatives would blame their deaths on some imaginary witches in the village. Some of the producers of these drugs would claim they have no side effects.
“However, the majority of these products do not go through the approval process of the agency, but the agency would not relent in going after the peddlers of such dangerous drugs until they were brought to book.”
He added that the agency adopted a multifaceted approach in fighting the preponderance of banned and falsified drugs and consumables in the country.
He decried the attitude of some people whom he described as “shylocks”, as they follow every means to make a quick money at the expense of the health and lives of consumers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the sensitisation and walk shows were conducted along major roads and markets in the Sokoto metropolis.
(NAN)
I nominate OKEKE BETHEL IKENNA from UNN.