Emzor Pharmaceutical Group Chairman, Mrs. Stella Okoli, has lamented the huge debts being owed pharmaceutical companies by the Federal Government.
“Three years ago, when the government had no single anti-retroviral drugs, they appealed to us (pharmaceutical firms) to please help produce anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS. We imported the materials and met the deadline; but till today, they have not paid us for the drugs. The government is owing pharmaceutical industry billions of naira over the last three years,” Mrs Okoli, also a Vice President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), said.
She lamented that through the MAN (Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group), several efforts have been made to get government to pay the debt, but it has not yielded any dividend. “We have gone to the Minister of Health, Minister of Industry and also the legislators. The energy that we have put in to get the money is much. We are patriotic Nigerians, so we do not want to take a wrong step that may have a negative impact on the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing and those that are studying pharmacy, or drug manufacturing in Nigeria. We should be talking of research; now is the time we need to move and get going,” she said.
Mrs Okoli said given the prevailing economic situation in the country, which has led some manufacturers to close shop and left several others to become cash strapped, there is the need for government to help manufacturers. This will entail the government and other regulatory bodies to work together for the common good of the real sector by ensuring that the industry is properly positioned to compete with its counterparts abroad and make sure that export is smooth.
“Manufacturing has become very difficult in this country; it is the job of the government to make sure that our industries survive. There are so many ways to help manufacturers, including through the government patronage and paying them promptly for jobs done,” she submitted.
She however said notwithstanding the situation, the future of manufacturing in the country is very bright because without manufacturing, “we are dead” as a nation.
MAN: Fed Govt’s debts to pharmaceutical firms crushing
