By Oyeniyi Iwakun
The Director, Investigation and Enforcement and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake drugs, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mr. Kingsley Ejiofor has disclosed government’s plan to impose life Imprisonment on illegal and fake drugs dealers in Nigeria.
While fielding questions from MMS Plus in Lagos last week, Mr. Ejiofor said “the bill is in the National Assembly and will be hopefully passed into law very soon”.
The NAFDAC Boss who lamented the alarming rate of illegal manufacturing and smuggling of fake pharmaceutical products into the Nigeria through the borders advised members of the public to be vigilant and careful about the kind of drugs they take and where they buy them.
“If you want to buy any pharmaceutical products, Kindly demand for a receipt but whoever refuses to give you has something to hide. Sometime in February this year, we destroyed over nine (9) billion naira worth of fake pharmaceutical products in Port Harcourt and today another one worth Eighty Five (85) million naira in Lagos.
“This is a clarion call for all including members of the press, public, professionals and the general populace to fight this menace by whistleblowing about perceived criminals around them. To us, this is an existential issue, it’s beyond commerce and far more than money but saving lives. We are aware that the people involved in this are delicate and more dangerous than armed robbers.” Ejiofor said.
Ejiofor was speaking shortly after receiving ‘1,442 cartons of drugs (Tramadol 225/120mg) believed to be imported from India’ from the Customs.
“You can imagine the danger of these fake drugs if it hadn’t been intercepted. On our part, we will to formalize the process. NAFDAC will investigate, prosecute the offenders and also destroy the products and I can assure you that these products will not get into the supply chain” he said.
Ejiofor also called for more inter-agencies collaboration and the general public in the fight against smuggling and importation of fake and sub-standard products in Nigeria.
