By Chioma Umeha
For some time, pharmacists have been expressing
concerns over delays in the appointment of a new Director General (DG) for the
National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and
reconstitution of the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria’s (PCN) governing
council.
They link the poor state of affairs in the
pharmaceutical sector to absence of substantive NAFDAC DG and government’s
dissolution of the governing council of PCN, especially as both agencies are
charged with the regulatory functions in the industry.
The group under the auspices of Pharmaceutical
Society of Nigeria (PSN) further alleged failure of government to stick to the
provisions of Section 9 of the NAFDAC enabling Act in the appointment of its
DG/Chief Executive Officer.
These they believe have hampered the effectiveness
of these bodies to carry out their statutory functions.
The PCN is charged with regulatory functions such
as disciplinary action, accreditation of training facilities and other
statutory responsibilities while NAFDAC is a regulatory agency of the Federal
Government with the mandate to ensure the safety of foods, drugs, chemicals,
water, medical devices and other regulated products according to the
establishing statute as reflected in Act 15 of 1993.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Lagos
State Branch has therefore called for the immediate appointment of a pharmacist
as the Director General of NAFDAC for smooth running of the entire system.
The charge was made recently at the 2017 annual
luncheon of the PSN, Lagos Chapter.
Speaking for PSN, Lagos State Chapter, Pharm. Bola
Adeniran the newly elected Chairman urged the Federal Government to appoint a
seasoned registered pharmacist as the DG, while the Governing Council of the
agency should be reconstituted.
President Muhammadu Buhari on February, 2016
discharged 24 Director Generals (DG) of their duties, among which the former DG
of NAFDAC is, Dr. Paul Orhii handed over the affairs of the agency to Mrs.
Yetunde Oni, who has since then being the Acting Director General.
The chairman, PSN, Lagos Chapter reasons that
NAFDAC’s enabling law is unambiguous on the prerequisite for the appointment of
a DG for the agency; President Muhammadu Buhari ought to comply with the
provisions of the extant Act setting it up.
According to her, Section 9 (1) of NAFDAC Act 15
of 1993 states, “There shall be appointed for the agency by the President,
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces on the recommendation of the Minister, a
Director General who shall be a person with good knowledge of pharmacy, food
and drugs.”
Mr Orhii, the immediate past NAFDAC DG holds a PhD
in Medicine. He handed over the affairs of the agency to Mrs. Oni, the Director
of Administration and Human Resources.
Pharm. Adeniran further contends that the post of
Director General of NAFDAC is meant for persons trained in basic Pharmaceutical
Sciences.
“If the true spirit and letter of Section 9(1) of
Decree 15 of 1993 is strictly adhered to, only a registered pharmacist will
logically meet the condition precedent prescribed by law in section 9(1).”
To her since the major areas to be regulated in
line with the regulatory mandate of NAFDAC remain pharmacy, food and drugs,
only pharmacists can be designated a pharmaceutical inspector because the
provisions of Sections 5 & 6 of the Poison and Pharmacy Act Cap 535 LFN
1990 compel all inspectors to be Registered Pharmacists.
She also called the Federal Government to
reconstitute the Governing Council of NAFDAC to ensure functional and optimal
performance index of the health sector.
Pharm. Adeniran also posited that currently, the
Food and Drug Advisory Council of the West African Health Organisation and the
West African Post-graduate College of Pharmacists which is the organ that
drives technical advice at the sub-regional level lack the expertise of a drug
and food specialist giving rise to the current mismanagement of medicine use
and policy protocol in Nigeria.
She said, “Our story in the profession of pharmacy
in the last few years has been one form of vitiation or the other of relevant
pharmacy and drug statutes. This cannot make room for decorum in larger life at
a time we seek value re-orientation in our country.
“We also strongly urge the Federal Government to
reconstitute the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) to enable legitimate
accreditation of training facilities in pharmacy practice as well ensuring the
return of disciplinary measures in practice matters.
“Government must complete statutory appointments
in the Pharma Sector with the constitution of National Institute for
Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).”
In all appointing a pharmacist to head NAFDAC is
like putting a square peg in a square hole; everything would synchronise.
Professional jobs should be left for professionals. To do otherwise is to court
danger.
Recently, both the Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, National
President of PSN and Dr. Albert Alkali,
National Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria also
called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac
Adewole, to resist any pressure to appoint a medical doctor as NAFDAC’s DG.
