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Tag: NAFDAC

  • NAFDAC destroys expired goods worth N80m in Abuja

    The national Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday destroyed expired and counterfeit products worth N80 million in Abuja.

    The products, which were gathered over the last one year, were voluntarily forfeited by companies, while others were mopped up from circulation through the enforcement activities of the agency.

    The products were gathered from states around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Speaking at the destruction site in Kuje, Prof. Christiana Adeyeye, director-general of the agency said NAFDAC is continuously waging war against counterfeiting and faking of regulated products.

    Adeyeye noted that the destruction that was carried yesterday was part of the efforts to rid the country of counterfeit and fake products.

    She said: “This period exercise further give credence to the fact that NAFDAC is continuously waging war against counterfeiting and faking of regulated products. We will continue to work relentlessly to ensure that this incidence is reduced to the barest minimum and only safe, efficacious and wholesome regulated products are available to the populace.

    “Today, we witness the destruction of various categories of regulated products worth over eighty million naira. It is important to note that some of these expired products were voluntarily forfeited to NAFDAC by companies and non-governmental organisations while others were mopped up from circulation via enforcement activities of the agency.”

    In spite the many successes made to thwart the activities of fake product peddlers and counterfeiters, NAFDAC boss said the agency still face some daunting challenges as violators continue to evade arrest.

    “Our enforcement and surveillance systems are not without daunting challenges as violators continue to adopt different strategies to ensure that they evade arrest and enjoy proceeds of their nefarious activities.”

    The agency, she said, will continue to deploy effective strategies to ensure that violators are not only arrested but also face the full wrath of the law.

    She also posited that the agency will continue to collaborate with othe agencies so as to ensure success in its operations.

    Adeyeye also solicited for the support and cooperation of the general public in tackling the menace of fake, counterfeit and unwholesome regulated products.

  • I’ll enforce January, 2019 deadline for drug control centres – Prof. Adewole

    I’ll enforce January, 2019 deadline for drug control centres – Prof. Adewole

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Friday said he would start the enforcement of the Federal Government’s directive on drug control centres from January, 2019.

    Adewole said that this step would end the sales of drugs through the operations of drug marts in Nigeria.

    The minister spoke in Aba at the ground breaking ceremony of the Abia State Wholesale Control Centre ( CWC ) for drugs.

    He said that the final deadline for the enforcement had been fixed for January, 2019, saying that there would be no going back on the deadline.

    “There will be no going back on the January, 2019 deadline.

    “If we find anybody doing marketing or wholesale distribution in January, 2019, we will arrest and confiscate the product.

    “For those who nurse the dream that there will be another CWC in Abia State, they should wake up from the dream, because there will be no other one.

    “Please let us work together; do not write any petition to me again, because I will not read it and I will not do any business with the petition.

    “I learnt that those writing petitions are using the soldiers. I will use the Generals and not soldiers. I will use the Minister of Defence, so that we will enforce the order.

    “The directive came from the Presidential Committee on Pharmaceutical Sector Reform. We did not just wake up and say go to this place. It has presidential backing,’’ he said.

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, said he was glad that the centre was being set up to identify those genuine drug dealers and stop the circulation of fake drugs.

    The governor said the state government would ensure that all genuine drug dealers relocate to the centre on completion to create a safer drug distribution system in the state.

    Ikpeazu, represented by his deputy, Sir Ude Oko-Chukwu, said that Abia would provide the needed facilities for the centre to function optimally.

    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, said that the CWCs were meant to ensure regulated and organised drug distribution at four levels, with drug manufacturers at the apex.

    Adeyeye said that NAFDAC would play its role to make the policy to succeed, urging drug dealers to play by the rules of the law for safety.

    She was represented by Mr Ali Ibrahim, the Director, Pharmacovigilance and Post-marketing Surveillance.

    NAN

  • SON, NAFDAC partner on service delivery

    • Reps score SON high on lab centre

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Directors-General, Mr. Osita Aboloma and his National Agency for Food, Drug  Administration and Control (NAFDAC) counterpart, Professor Moji Adeyeye, have affirmed the commitment of the two organisations to the welfare and health of Nigerians through improved collaboration.

    In a statement by SON, the affirmation was made during a courtesy visit by the NAFDAC DG and some members of her Management to the SON in Abuja.

    Aboloma said the two sister regulatory agencies have the collective responsibility of working for the overall interest of the nation and its people.

    “The enabling Acts of the two agencies as well others have clearly delineated their functions, the areas of perceived overlap should be taken as opportunities for collaboration and cooperation rather than competition.

    “The use of the Harmonised Systems (HS) Codes for examination of goods at the nation’s entry points was in line with international best practices and aimed at reducing conflicts to the barest minimum

    “I’m  advocating the expansion of the seamless collaboration between the two agencies in standards development activities at technical committees, standards compliance and enforcement,”he said.

    Meanwhile, House of Representative Committee on Industry have scored the  SON high on effective implementation of budgetary provisions for their laboratory complex at Ogba, Ikeja.

    The Committee Chairman, Abubakar Moriki, who led an eight-man delegate of Patrick Aisowieren; Micky Kazzim; Sam Onuigbo; Ahmad Kalambaina; Mohammed Ibrahim; Baderinwa Bamidele and Yusuf Buba, praised  Aboloma for attaining 95 per cent completion of the project.

    He said the inspection was necessary to ascertain the depth of implementation of 2017 budget in preparation for the passing of the 2018 appropriation bill.

    The Chairman who commended the spate of construction and equipping, said the observation of the laboratory complex will forge the basis for the provision of facilities to  jump start operations.

    Touring the four-storey building, which include refrigerator testing chamber,  food microbiology and  food data processing unit, among others, Moriki said full operation should begin by March.

    He said: “Towards the tail end of 2016, we were here and the project was at an appreciable level of completion though the equipments were not installed and positioned in their respective offices. Now in 2018 and in the process of considering the appropriation for the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), it is necessary to come and visit the facility and see other places where they are conducting  their operations.”

    He urged the DG to ensure strategic distribution of the testing equipment across regional laboratories to avoid concentration in a locale.

    “We should be looking forward to seeing  many of these testing equipment separated all over, not necessarily concentrated in one location. It is a service you provide to many of the cement companies,” he said.

    longer be a challenge as a laboratory for chemical test analysis would be operational to certify strength of compression, thereby limiting the risks of building collapses.

    The noted that new departments  would be spread among the new phases of regional laboratories coming up  in the North East, South East, and South West.

    He said: “We have been looking forward to this visit because you are our major advisers. We are open minded and open for change. We are open to anything that would add value to the work we do. This laboratory has been accredited to ensure that anything certified in Nigeria will be acceptable all over the world. We are also expanding this facility to accommodate more laboratories, because the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which Nigeria is a member requires that all goods that leave Nigeria must be tested and certified and to achieve that we must a state-of-the-art laboratories to achieve this. Our Ogba laboratory is where we store goods we seize during our enforcement activities waiting for ratification or destruction.”

    Speaking on partnerships with necessary stakeholders, Aboloma said: “Other regulatory agencies are collaborating with in a sustainable manner. The collaborations he revealed is in terms of funding researches, equipment, capacity building, and human capital development.”

     

  • NAFDAC, NDLEA partner to fight drug abuse

    The leaderships of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have resolved to join forces to combat the rising cases of drug abuse across the country.

    The two agencies, whose primary mandates revolve around control of abuse, adulteration and mismanagement of regulated pharmaceutical products and other consumables, have decided not to leave anything to chance by resolving to take urgent measures to curtail the rising incidence of drug abuse among Nigerians.

    NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Moji Christiana Adeyeye, while speaking during a working visit to the NDLEA Chairman in Abuja  stressed the need for the two agencies to close ranks for better efficiency.

    Prof. Adeyeye said: “Our visit to NDLEA is coming after the stakeholders round table held in Kano. It is intended to foster familiarity among the leadership of the twin agencies so that we can work with better results to the benefit of Nigerians.

    “It will also afford us the opportunity to work in synergy without issues with regards to the specific and general mandates of the two agencies.”

    Responding, NDLEA Chairman, Colonel Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd), reemphasised the need for closer relationship between the two agencies.

    According to Abdallah, drug abuse has attained an all time high level in Nigeria, hence should be regarded as an emergency at red alert level.

    “Drug in Nigeria should be declared as emergency in Nigeria, even ahead of terrorism. This is because terrorism is hugely fueled by drug abuse. A typical evidence of this is that huge amount of drugs like tramadol and the likes are usually found in all the Boko Haram camps that have been dislodged so far, which is an indication that most of them perpetrate the act of terrorism under influence of drugs.”

    To drive their resolution, the two agencies have agreed that there is an urgent need to form a joint task on drug abuse.

    They also agreed to make joint recommendations to the government on the need to empower them to perform optimally on the new threat that drug abuse overly poses to the country’s overall security.

    The latest move by the two agencies is coming on the heels of a recent visit by NAFDAC to the leadership of the Nigerian senate, and a follow up visit by the House of Representatives where the Senate President and members of the House stressed the need for improved funding for NAFDAC.

  • Stay away from drug abuse, NAFDAC warns women

    Stay away from drug abuse, NAFDAC warns women

    The National Food and Drugs Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) has warned women against drug abuse.

    Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the Deputy Director and Kwara State Coordinator of NAFDAC gave the warnings while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday in Ilorin.

    According to her, the abuse of drugs is becoming prevalence among women.

    “I have heard the story that drug abuse is quite prevalence among ladies and I think it is about the environment where they live.

    Read also: Why hard drugs, crimes ravage Nigeria

    “In an environment where alcohol is consumed freely, where you have frustration, joblessness and pressure in the home-front, people tend to take solace in something and they go after doing something that will make them forget about their sorrow,’’ she said.

    The coordinator said that the agency discovered that soft drinks were being laced with drugs such as tramadol and codeine cough syrup before being taken.

    “Because of the stigma that women might face if they come out openly that they take drugs, they do it clandestinely by lacing soft drinks with hard drugs to prevent people from suspecting them,’’ he said.

    Ajayi said the agency had stepped up its awareness campaign against drug abuse and misuse through enlightenment on dangers and consequences of drugs abuse.

    According to her, the agency is ready to partner with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) to effectively combat drug-related offences.

    She urged Nigerians to uphold family ties and values, adding that parents should watch and relate well with their children while giving them the needed support.

    Ajayi also spoke on the need for government to step up effort to stem the rate of unemployment so that the rate of drug
    abuse could reduce.

    “When youths are gainfully engaged, they will be busy; their minds will not go into illicit drugs consumption,’’ she said.

    NAN

  • National Assembly pledges to address poor funding of NAFDAC

    National Assembly pledges to address poor funding of NAFDAC

    The National Assembly has promised to address the poor funding of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    Senate President Bukola Saraki was responding to concerns raised by the NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Moji Adeyeye when she visited him in his office in Abuja.

    Saraki described the director-general as an accomplished professional with a distinguished career, urging her to bring her wealth of experience to bear in her new assignment.

    Prof. Adeyeye appealed for increased budgetary allocation to the agency. She said the agency was burdened by a myriad of challenges which limit its effective performance and discharge of its statutory function of safeguarding public health.

    While promising to rejuvenate the war against counterfeit products in spite of dwindling finances, she called on the National Assembly to urgently address the issue of overlapping functions to avoid frictions with other egencies.

    The House of Representatives also acknowledged that NAFDAC could only perform optimally with improved funding for its regulatory activities.

    Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services were at the Headquarters of NAFDAC on oversight function . They pledged to look at how they could wade in to ensure that NAFDAC ‘s activities were not hindered by poor funding.

  • Fire at NAFDAC building in Abuja

    Fire at NAFDAC building in Abuja

    The headquarters of National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Abuja was gutted by fire on Friday.

    The Director, Search and Rescue of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Sonny Ohemu, who led a team to inspect the scene, said the cause of the inferno was being investigated.

    Ohemu said the fire incident started at 6: 20 a.m. and the cleaners as well as security guards in NAFDAC called the Federal Fire Service immediately.

    “We arrived the place promptly to put out the fire,’’ said the director, adding that the inferno touched only two offices.

    “We must commend the management of NAFDAC for training people like cleaners to know what to do in case of fire disaster.

    We have to also appreciate the Federal Government for the recent purchase of equipment for Fire Service which has really helped to curtail the situation.”

     

     

  • NAFDAC wants public to blow whistle

    NAFDAC wants public to blow whistle

    Prof. Christiana Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Monday called on Nigerians to report any form of illegal drug production in their environments.

    Adeyeye made the call at the ongoing 8th Annual Symposium of the Health Writers’ Association of Nigeria ( HEWAN ) in Lagos.

    The director-general was represented by Mrs Abayomi Bolaji, a Deputy Director in the agency.

    The symposium had the theme “The Menace of Counterfeit Drugs, the Role of Regulatory Bodies’’.

    “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.

    “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.

    “Blow the whistle; most of these illegal productions of drugs are done in the night. We will ensure utmost confidentiality.

    Read also: NAFDAC refutes report of 70% fake drugs in Nigerian markets

    “NAFDAC will neither relent nor waver in the fight until the battle is won,” she promised.

    The director-general said that counterfeit drugs had many health and economic consequences.

    “Counterfeit drugs pose 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,’’ she said.

    Adeyeye said the magnitude of drug counterfeiting was much and required strong and sustained actions from governments, the industry and consumers.

    She highlighted strategies being used by NAFDAC to eradicate drug counterfeiting to include sustained public enlightenment and collaboration with national and international agencies.

    According to her, the agency had also engaged in capacity building of its staff, reviewed NAFDAC laws and applied cutting edge technologies to tackle drug counterfeiting.

    Adeyeye appealed to stakeholders and other members of the public to join hands with NAFDAC in the fight against drug counterfeiting.

    In his remarks, Dr Emmanuel Enabulele, Chairman, Board of Trustees, HEWAN, said that, with adequate collaboration, Nigeria would win the fight against drug counterfeiting.

    He thanked NAFDAC for sharing knowledge with the journalists, and expressed the hope that the relationship between the agency and the media would continue to yield fruitful results.

    NAN

  • Apapa Customs generates N36.2bn

    Apapa Customs generates N36.2bn

    The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service generated N36.22 billion in November, authorities of the command have said.

    The command’s spokesperson, Mrs Nkiru Nwalla, said in Lagos that the collection was an increase of about N6.6 billion from N31.8 billion recorded in the preceding month.

    Nwalla said by the collection, the command surpassed its monthly target of N29.5 billion.

    She attributed the increase in the revenue to the leadership of Comptroller Musa Jibrin, the Area Coomander, who insisted that officers should withdraw from activities that would impede “Ease of Doing Business’’ at the port.

    Nwalla said Jibrin had encouraged the implementation of all strategies and blueprints devised to block all revenue leakages while enhancing trade facilitation and security to sustain the pace.

    Read also: Customs generate N262.3bn in 11 months at Tin Can Port – Official

    “Continuous stakeholder engagement and enlightenment have paved way for willful compliance seen in improved honest declaration and transparency in the 24-hour cargo clearance procedures.

    “The command is delighted to re-inform the public that officers are scheduled on 24/7 bases and are ready for all importers and exporters who desire to have their consignments cleared,” she said.

    Nwalla said that the command had intercepted 24 containers of various consignments due to false declaration, adding that the goods intercepted included pharmaceutical products, frozen fish, medicament.

    She said seven containers of pharmaceutical products had been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    The spokesperson also said that some officers, who were found wanting in anti-smuggling cases had been dismissed to serve as deterrent to others.

    NAN

  • Christmas: NAFDAC assures commitment to rid market of fake products

    Christmas: NAFDAC assures commitment to rid market of fake products

    The coordinator of National Agency for Food, Drug and Control ( NAFDAC ), Pharmacist Okeke Olisa disclosed that the agency was working assiduously to ensure that people of Abia state and visitors who may wish shop in Aba, the commercial hub of the state buys original products.

    Olisa in an exclusive interview with our reporter lamented attacks on its personnel by traders especially at Eziukwu/Cemetry Market; 2nd largest market in Aba, however commended the cooperation and assistance they have enjoyed with the police and other sister agencies that provided cover for them during their operations to avoid mob action on its personnel. This is even as he stated that no amount of attack would deter them from doing what is right.

    According to Olisa, the agency in August carried a raid at Eziukwu market where reports have it that traders in the market have penchant to selling of fake and adulterated products, confiscated fake products of about N20m during the operation.

    The NAFDAC chief stated that the agency as part of its measures to ensure that they frustrate and nip the activities of fakers in the bud, have deployed its men in various market and production plants to carry out surveillance on what goes in and out of the markets and also to ensure that products churned out for use or consumption met NAFDAC approved standard.

    “Aba is a commercial city where we have businessmen and opportunists who wants to capitalize on the good intentions of some businessmen to bring in things that are not genuine. It is expected in a commercial city like Aba and most commercial populated cities. That is why the management of NAFDAC in its wisdom located its office in Aba instead of being cited at the State capital and it has helped in curbing the tendencies of fakers bringing in fake products in Aba and Abia State as a whole.

    “Eziukwu market for instance is a place where you have highly unsafe packaged food products. Because of the volume of trade on cosmetics and other items going in the market, some people have come to group themselves with the aim of faking good products, but most times, we have raided them.

    “We go there for routine inspection and as we speak, we have our men on ground at the market and checking what they have on the shelves. In the month of August we carried a raid on a particular zone where we got hint that people were faking products. We succeeded in carting away fake products that worth over N20m from that zone. It might interest you to know that while we were doing that, touts in that market attacked our personnel.

    “Again in September, they attacked us again in that market. It would have been more fatal if not for the assistance of police personnel that were with us. We are not deterred.

    “We have entered the Christmas period where you see influx of goods and services. There is high propensity that people are going to buy things in the market which is common place during the Christmas period. So we are all out to make sure that people who are going to cease that opportunity to bring in fake product would be nabbed.

    “Within this period, we normally increase our surveillance activities and also rely on our informants and good citizens who are willing to give us useful information about the activities of suspected faking of product adulteration in their vicinity,” the NAFDAC chief stated

    Stating the desire of the agency in ensuring that shoppers continue to buy original products of their choice in the market, he warned that the agency would make faking and adulteration of products an unproductive venture for those who engage in such illicit business.

    He however encouraged Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) who are yet to register their products to do so without hesitation, stressing that registration of products is now flexible which he said was to help owners of SMEs to grow, compete favourably with their counterparts at the local and international market and also help to put food on the tables of the producers of such product(s).