TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA
The Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye has hinted that, the agency has taken the fight against importation of substandard and fake products to China and India.
She added that the agency had to remove two Clean Report Inspection (CRI) Agents because they indulged in facilitating illicit drugs to Nigeria.
She made this known at a press conference yesterday in Abuja, while saying, the agency would no longer tolerate importation of substandard goods anymore.
According to NAFDAC boss, “Last year, I was in India and China to examine some of their laboratories where goods meant for importation to Nigeria are tested.
“In these countries, they have Clean Report Inspection (CRI) Agents who certify these products before they are shipped to Nigeria. We had to remove two of the CRI Agents because we found them culpable in allowing substandard drugs to come to Nigeria. We told them in China and India that we don’t want substandard goods in Nigeria anymore”.
“For seven years when the agency was not at the ports, importers of fake and substandard drugs were having a field day bringing in dangerous products into the country. Our children were going wacko due to drug abuse that was almost becoming a normal thing in this country.
She continued; “In May of 2018, our officials returned to the ports and gave importers of these illicit drugs a run for their money. Many containers of Tramadol were impounded by NAFDAC and destroyed. To destroy a container of Tramadol cost between one million to two million naira.
“Importers of these illicit drugs, when it dawned on them that we are back at the ports, started diverting some of these shipments to neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region. We went after them in these countries and still seized their shipments.
“As I speak, five containers of Tramadol meant for the Nigerian market are in the Benin Republic. The Nigerian Ambassador over there is currently making efforts to bring those consignments here for destruction. The NAFDAC Directorate at the port is up and running”, she said.
