Matilda Omonaiye/
The Director General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Moji Adeyeye has appealed to the judiciary to always apply tougher penalty against those found guilty of drug counterfeiting, expired processed food and repugnant cosmetics to serve as deterrent to others.
In a statement by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, in Lagos on Sunday, Prof Adeyeye lamented that perpetuators of the illicit trade more often than not do capitalize on the weak law in the land to wreak havoc on the nation’s health system.
Speaking against the backdrop of the ongoing destruction of falsified and expired medicines, cosmetics, and unwholesome food products across the country by the Agency, the NAFDAC DG appealed to the judiciary to take sterner view of counterfeiting and apply the maximum penalty of the weak laws to deter counterfeiters and fraudsters from the dangers they pose to the society and all consumers as a result of their dangerous products.
She said that the dangerous business would be made unattractive if it carried maximum penalty for the offenders.
Prof Adeyeye also pleaded with members of the National Assembly to pass the Counterfeit Medical Products Bill that will reinforce the NAFDAC’s fight against counterfeiting in Nigeria.
She warned that henceforth, there would be no hiding place for the merchants of death who she said; derived joy in the unpatriotic act of circulating expired, falsified drugs and food products, putting the health of millions of Nigerians at risk.
In its renewed efforts to safeguard the health of Nigerians, she said the Agency had resolved to go after those who engage in circulation of counterfeited and expired medicines, cosmetics, and spurious food products in the country until they are apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.
Prof Adeyeye said the agency would not rest on its oars until those she described as merchants of death desist from the nefarious activities following the destruction of seized unwholesome products worth over N5billion in five months.
According to her, the Agency destroyed unwholesome medicines, expired processed food items and cosmetics worth N1, 429,580,683.00 in Awka, the capital city of Anambra State in March for South-South and Southeast operations.
In the same month, she recalls that such dangerous products worth N613,300,290.00 were destroyed in Kano while the Agency moved to Gombe in May to destroy seized counterfeited and expired medicines, and food items worth N515,732.587 mopped up in the Northeast by the Investigation and Enforcement officials of the Agency led by Barrister Kingsley Ejiofor.
According to Prof Adeyeye, fake and expired medicines, and food products worth N2,482,600,290 seized in the Southwest were destroyed in Shagamu, Ogun State last week.
The NAFDAC DG, however, assured Nigerians that the Agency would stop at nothing to apprehend the people who engage in the illicit business of endangering the lives of undiscerning consumers who patronize them.
‘’The operatives of the Agency had combed the nooks and crannies of the five geo-political zones of the federation, namely, Northwest, North East, South East, South-South and South West to mop up expired drugs and unwholesome food products with a view to safeguarding the health of the Nigerian people’’, she said.
Adeyeye noted that the destruction was part of the efforts to rid the Nigerian market of unwholesome products and engender public confidence.
The destroyed products include drugs such as antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarial, herbal remedies, psychoactive, controlled substance.
Food products such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, Chocolates, Noodles, etc. were also destroyed as well as cosmetics such as creams, pomade, and insecticides.
According to her, the continued destruction of the spurious products would eliminate the risk of their reintroduction into the market, noting that drug counterfeit is an act of economic sabotage and poses serious threat to public health.
She said, “It is proof of NAFDAC’s resolve to safeguard the health of the people and ensure that only genuine medicines that are wholesome are sold in Nigeria.
“This flag off of the Southwest zonal destruction exercise is in line with our mandate and strategy aimed at eradicating the reintroduction of Expired, Substandard and Falsified (SFs) Medical Products as well as other spurious, unsafe and unwholesome NAFDAC regulated products into circulation in Nigeria.”
She added that the current NAFDAC management was committed to ensuring that “the health of the nation is safeguarded”.
“We are committed to eliminating SFs medical products, illicit drugs, unwholesome foods, chemicals, medical devices and other products and will continue to find ways to rid the nation of all these,” she said.
She urged members of the public against patronizing unlabeled products.
She added, “It is pertinent to mention that the fight is capital intensive and we need the support of states, local Governments Councils, Foundations and other corporate bodies.
“I sincerely and openly appreciate the support of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Department of State Security (DSS) and Nigeria Security, Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), other regulatory agencies and stakeholders.
“While appealing for sustained synergy to ensure that we rid the nation of illicit, fake and unwholesome NAFDAC Regulated products,” she said, noting with dismay “This is wicked and must be stopped.”
Prof. Adeyeye appealed to community leaders, faith-based organizations, health practitioners and the media to continue to educate members of the public to desist from patronizing quacks and hawkers of medicines and unwholesome foods.
She also appealed to members of the public to release valuable information that would help in getting information to fight against “these merchants of death whose only desire is to make out of the misery of the people”.
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