By Maryanne Awuya
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed the critical role of inter-agency cooperation in eradicating counterfeit drugs and substandard products.
Receiving a delegation led by Public Complaints Commission (PCC) Chief Commissioner Bashir Abubakar on Thursday, NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye highlighted that any lapse in regulatory oversight carries grave public health risks.
Prof. Adeyeye said inter-agency collaboration remains the bedrock of effective regulatory enforcement, pointing to ongoing joint efforts with the Nigeria Customs Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), and the Nigeria Police Force.
“NAFDAC is a complex agency that deals with the public 24/7. There is hardly anybody who does not consume one or more NAFDAC-regulated products every day,” Adeyeye said in a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations Unit, Mr. Adegboyega Osiyemi, in Abuja and made available to Persecondnews.
“If there is no compliance in NAFDAC, a child may die, a pregnant woman may die, and a man or a woman living with hypertension may die. Our job in NAFDAC is about life and death.”
She also highlighted the agency’s progress under the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Benchmarking framework, noting that NAFDAC had closed 200 indicators and 800 recommendations to attain WHO Maturity Level 3.
According to her, the agency is now pursuing Maturity Level 4 to further improve the global acceptability of products manufactured in Nigeria and support the growth of local industries.
Adeyeye also commended the PCC Chief Commissioner for his commitment to public safety, recalling that Abubakar received the NAFDAC Integrity Award in 2018 after providing intelligence that led to the interception of 41 containers of illegal tramadol at a Nigerian port.
PCC Chief Commissioner Bashir Abubakar said the visit was to commend NAFDAC for its continued efforts to combat illicit drugs and unwholesome products.
He said the PCC, as Nigeria’s Ombudsman, routinely receives public complaints and channels them to relevant authorities to ensure accountability and appropriate action.
Abubakar urged NAFDAC to further expand its inter-agency network to include the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
He said stronger collaboration with these organisations would help strengthen the supply and distribution chain and make it more difficult for counterfeiters to operate.
“By building a system, those who follow due process and have integrity will respect you, while people on the other side will fear you,” Abubakar said.
The engagement underscored the need for stronger intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement among government agencies to protect Nigerians from counterfeit medicines and other unwholesome regulated products.
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