Health Minister inaugurates NAFDAC office

• FG Destroys N9.6bn Fake Pharmaceutical Products in Rivers

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcour

The Federal Government tuesday destroyed fake pharmaceutical products worth N9.6 billion, that were jointly seized by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The products were contained in 11 out of 21 containers seized by the agencies.
Speaking at a brief ceremony before the destruction of the fake pharmaceutical products at Government Dump-Site, Igwuruta, near Port Harcourt, the Minister of Health, Profess Isaac Adewale, said the fight against fake and substandard food and pharmaceutical products in the country is part of the anti-corruption crusade of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Adewale said, “Today is very significant in the annals of our history. When Mr. President came on board, he came on board with a very focussed programme. Number one on his agenda is to tackle corruption. But many of us, when we discuss corruption, we discuss monetary inducement and thievery of funds.

“Nothing destroys this nation more than the importation, distribution and consumption of these types of bad products that do not have credible NAFDAC number. Some of them have NAFDAC number but I am told they are fake. What is important is that we are keying into this war against corruption.

“One cannot but agree with the submission of His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Anambra State that the manufacture and distribution of substandard falsified products is the worst of the all the crimes one can commit against humanity.”

He challenged NAFDAC, NCS and other agencies of government to rise up to the task of protecting the people from harmful products.

“So, your job is to protect and safeguard the health of our people and it is important. There are documents that show that those who profit from this business are causing us significant harm. The volume of trade has so far surpassed that of heroin and cocaine. So, it is a significant volume of business which we must all stamp out,” he said.

Earlier in her speech, the acting Director General of NAFDAC, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, said a total of 21 containers were seized in the joint operation with the Nigerian Customs Service, adding that 11 containers contained fake pharmaceutical products while the other 10, which were still kept at the Government Ware House in Port Harcourt, contained expired bread improvers.

Oni stated that fake pharmaceutical products found in the 11 containers include Tramadol, Diclofenol, Diarrestof, Labisnol and Diclofolk.

The Minister of Health, Profess Isaac Adewale, earlier in the day inaugurated the zonal office of NAFDAC in Port Harcourt, with a pledge that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would complete all abandoned projects in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration, Adewale said, “I think what is important that we are celebrating is the commitment of NAFDAC to get work done. I want to thank the leadership for getting this completed. A major commitment of the current administration is to complete abandoned projects all over the country.

“If you decide to take a closer scrutiny at many of the contracts that we have awarded at Federal Executive Council meeting, projects that were initiated as far back as 2007 but abandoned.

“So, this job is in keeping with the philosophy of this administration that we will not leave any project abandoned. Our prime task is to complete all abandoned projects. I want to thank NAFDAC for queuing into the vision of this administration.”