Emzor Reacts to Codeine Crisis, Says It Will Drive Awareness against Drug Abuse

Ayodeji Ake

One of the pharmaceutical firms named in the codeine crisis published by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) investigations recently, Emzor Pharmaceuticals, has stated that it will be driving campaigns against the menace of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria.

It said the campaign, which will partner parents, agencies and the government, was part of its corporate social responsibility to reduce to the minimum if not eradicate, the rampart drug consumption in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer, Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Stella Okoli, speaking during a press conference in Lagos recently, said she was disappointed that drugs meant for treatment of ailment was being abused by youths in the country.

She said: “We are deeply touched to know that our hope and future, the youths of this country have issues with drug abuse.

“As a mother, my heart is heavy as I reach out to the families affected. We shall all work together to overcome this problem. We must join hands in harmony to solve the problem of drug abuse. Emzor is a major player in pharmaceutical for more than 40 years proving medicine at an affordable cost. And we have been rewarded with confidence and comments by our customers,” she said.

She said Emzor was set up for Nigerians because of gaps in the healthcare sector, adding that, “the reward for hard work is more hard work no matter the challenges. All is well because we have a big God. We are committed to providing quality healthcare services which is our calling.

“Many have exited this industry because it is tough, but striving hard will result to success. We want the youths to grow and become proud Nigerians. I want to reassure you of our commitment, the affordability is not because we don’t want to earn more money but to make sure it has a far reach by being in circulation,” she said.

She said Emzor has done a lot for Nigerian youths as it runs a wellness club, preach the gospel of good health, advocate for good behaviour, or give hope to Nigerians.

Speaking on the viral video documentary, the Executive Director, General Duties, Human Resources and Finance, Mrs. Uzuoma Ezeoke, said “Emzor started as a retail outlet 40 years ago and today moved on to wholesale and importation. We have over 120 products in the market. We found ourselves as a marketing point for that documentary. For years we have been in this business, there have not been agencies coming around here. We are shocked about the sealing of our site. The story that Emzor has been shutdown is not the case. Yes, there was a negative documentary about us and today we want to tell that the seal has been broken.

“On our part about the documentary flying around, when we first saw the video, we stopped the distribution of our products to confirm the problem,” she said.