By
The National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said it is improving monitoring and
surveillance activities with a view to ensure that only safe products are in circulation
in the country.
Stating this during a donation by Dangote Group,
led by its Acting Managing Director, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Engr.
Abdullahi Sule in Lagos, the Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Mrs. Yetunde
Oni, noted the hazardous nature of the agency’s mandate and warned importers
who engaged in nefarious activities to desist.
Oni stressed that NAFDAC would not only continue
to seize fake and banned products imported into the country, but destroy and
prosecute every person found wanting.
“The earlier we arose to do good things the better
for us. Apart from giving marketing authorization to products that we regulate.
“It behoves us to also carry out surveillance and
monitoring activities to ensure that the quality as at the time that product
was granted marketing authorisation is retained.
“Apart from that, we also have the issue of some
items that are in the prohibition list that are bad and you know Nigerians who
they are, they will like to bring in those products. The onus is on us for
those ones that are under purview of NAFDAC, not to allow them to come in at
all. We will not do it alone, we will partner with other sister agencies like
the Nigeria Customs, which is always at the border post.”
Noting that the agency has received so much
support from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) she said the donation by Dangote
would go a long way in improving their activities.
“Our activities require good vehicles, if you
don’t have a vehicle, how do you begin to chase people that are already mobile
and they are running away. Now, we can chase them,” the Acting NAFDAC boss
said.
Oni who further disclosed that the Inspector
General of Police, IGP, has promised to give the agency a set of officers,
adding that NAFDAC do not carry arms, hence the need to partner with the
Police.
“With adequate number of Police officers and good
vehicle, when we are chasing, we know that we have adequate cover because there
are times, you want to carry out enforcement and surveillance activities that
we are attacked, but with the presence of the Police, it reduces the hazards
that we face in the course of carrying out our duties.
“What this means is that as from today, these
vehicles will be put into more effective operations of NAFDAC functions,
especially our enforcement, inspection, and post marketing surveillance. We have six pilot vehicles; we are expecting
two more, one additional Hilux from Bua and a 16-seater bus,” she added.
Pledging that the vehicles would be put into
judicious use, she called on well-meaning Nigerians and cooperate organisations
to partner with NAFDAC as the agency cannot succeed alone.
“Our service is for humanity and we must make sure
that we improve the wellbeing of the citizenry.”
She however, warned that the fact that a company
gave NAFDAC a gift does not exempt such organisation from being monitored.
Comments
Post a Comment