APFFLON Urges SON To Adopt NAFDAC’s New Measure To Curb Influx Of sub Standard Products
…Commends NAFDAC
BY Mcanthony Onuoha
Following its novel plan to adopt a different approach to prevent the influx of unwholesome drugs into the Nigerian Market, Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), has commended The National Agency For Food and Drugs Adminstration and Control(NAFDAC), for the Noble initiative.
The Agency has recently disclosed that it has concluded plans to partner with Pre- shipment Agents to checkmate the importation of fake drugs from China and India into Nigeria.
The disclosure was made by the Agency’s Director- General, Prof.Mojisola Adeyeye, in a press statement issued Sunday the 27th of September 2020. The NAFDAC Boss was confident, saying that the move was important as adoption of drastic preventive measures had become necessary in its quest to discourage fake drugs peddlers from carrying out their lethal enterprise to the detriment of the general populace, and maintained that it was the only way to rid the country of substandard and falsified drugs.
Continuing, Adeyeye explained that the move was part of the Agency’s efforts to take the war against unwholesome drugs to countries of origin, disclosing that 70 percent of drugs on Nigerian shelves are imported while only 20 percent are produced locally. She assured that the Agency was now going to the source to ensure comprehensive pre-shipment analysis.
Prof. Adeyeye further disclosed that her management team had visited the two Oriental Countries to rub minds with the agents whom she said have understood that they are now responsible for the quality of drugs to be imported into Nigeria, adding that they have been given the prerequisites that must be met before their laboratories are chosen for products analysis prior to their shipments, maintaining that the Agency was starting from the source to ensure that the medical products or drugs that come into Nigeria are safe and unblemished.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by APFFLON via its National President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, the Association commended NAFDAC for the idea, describing it as Noble.
The National President of APFFLON added that the preventive measure had been long expected as its earlier adoption, if not compromised along the line, would have impacted positively on the health and wellness of Nigerians who had for very long time been exposed to killer drugs.
Ogunojemite who lamented the rate of untimely deaths in the country blamed it on the unchecked lethal activities of fake drugs peddlers, pointing out that not putting adequate measures in place to curb the influx of unwholesome drugs have imposed avoidable danger to the health and wellness of vulnerable Nigerians.
The National President of APFFLON went ahead to urge NAFDAC to ensure that the intended measure was not in anyway compromised. He commended the Director- General for her innovative ideas and advised her to tighten up the loose ends in her quest to place the country on the path of wellness.
However, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite called upon Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), to toe the path of NAFDAC instead of clamouring to go back to the ports, saying that adopting the same measures to forestall the importation of substandard products right from countries of source remains ideal, especially at a time automation is fast replacing physical presence and manual labour. He further maintained that if the measure could be used to successfully to curb the influx of unwholesome food and drugs then nothing stops the measure from addressing that of other substandard products, adding that if the war is taken to countries of origin,the Agencies’ task would have been reduced to a reasonable percentage.
