NAFDAC Pledges to Ensure Locally Vaccines Meet International Standard

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has given undertaking that vaccines produced in Nigeria, including those for COVID-19, would be of internationally acceptable standard.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made the pledge during an oversight visit to NAFDAC facilities and COVID-19 laboratories projects in Lagos last Friday with the House of Representatives Committee on COVID-19.

In a statement issued yesterday by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, the director general described the federal government’s huge spending on the fight against COVID-19 as exemplified by the construction of the new COVID-19 laboratory, equipped with modern instruments and amenities at the agency as a wake-up call for the country.

Adeyeye, however, noted with dismay that the health sector has been neglected before the present administration responded through the COVID-19 Committees of the National Assembly.

She said: “If the regulatory agency is not strengthened, the industry will not be strengthened. We have the African free trade agreement already here with us now for the nation’s pharmaceutical industry to take advantage of with quality products.’’

“There will be a lot of competition and if NAFDAC’s laboratory is not strengthened, we will not be able to compete.

‘’For vaccine, we are hoping that the vaccine facilities from the public- private partnership will soon happen. But if the regulatory agency is not strong, we can make vaccine that will destroy our own people.’’.

Adeyeye said that with NAFDAC now very strong with WHO Maturity Level 3 Certification,  “Nigeria can now make her own vaccines and we can assure the populace that there is quality in whatever is being manufactured because of NAFDAC’s strength.’’

She said the impact of COVID-19 fund would resonate well with the whole country and if the right people are put in the right places, then the vision of the government could be realised.

“Whatever approvals that are being given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on funding our activities, you can actually touch such and this is what has happened here today, Adeyeye told the lawmakers.

The Chairman of the House Committee on COVID-19, Hon. Haruna Mshelia, commended the director general of NAFDAC and her management team for leveraging on the latest technology to upgrade the agency to a standard that is next to none in Africa.

Mshelia said: “We have seen with our eyes how they have leveraged on latest technology to upgrade the organisation to a standard that is next to none in Africa. I think they need to be commended. We have seen the warehouse. We have now seen the laboratory which is under construction. They have gone very far, and the standard of the construction is good,”