CHIOMA UMEHA
Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senate President, has
expressed readiness of the Red Chamber to look into the amendment of NDLEA Act
to curb the prevalence of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the
country.
Saraki spoke when Pharm Ahmed Yakasai, President
of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and some delegates of his society
paid him a courtesy call to discuss the recurring menace of drug abuse and
misuse in the country.
Saraki promised that a Motion would be raised the
following day on the floor of the Senate to adopt measures in ensuring that the
trend is halted in the interest of the people and the society.
At the plenary of the Senate, the Motion was
listed as promised on the Order Paper and debated on the floor of the Upper
Chamber during which the following resolutions were reached.
First is to mandate its Joint Committee on Drugs,
Narcotics and health to investigate the growing menace of cough and other
prescriptive drugs abuse.
Second is to urge the Federal Government to
partner with stakeholders, traditional rulers, Pharmacists councils, NGOs to
create framework in fighting the aforementioned category of drug abuse.
The third one is to urge National Agency for Food
and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to embark on a vigorous sensitization campaign on the
dangers of drug abuse and steps on achieving a successful rehabilitation for
people with the addiction.
While praying for the Senate to amend the NDLEA
Act to accommodate a new directorate of consumer protection, Yakasai, had
earlier during the visit requested for it to be headed by a registered
pharmacist.
According to Yakasai, the step will stem the
unprecedented toll which drug misuse and abuse are having on health consumers
in the country.
The PSN boss further said that the proposed
directorate should be empowered to coordinate health advocacy, monitoring and
control of narcotics as well as other medicines with abuse and misuse
potentials in the country.
Yakasai added that the amendment of the NDLEA Act
would be best pursued on the template of a private member’s bill which he
assured would have the maximum support of the PSN.
He stressed; “We must not fail to utilise this
discourse to request for the cooperation of Your Excellency to facilitate the
Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Act amendment bill which is championed by the
Nigeria Law Reform Commission which is currently pending before the House of
Representatives Committee on Health.”
According to him, the envisaged PCN bill was well
grounded in law to boost the inspectorate activities of PCN which have
statutory powers to regulate and control all pharmaceutical premises in both
public and private sectors.
The mandate, he added, also gives PCN latitude to
modulate the activities of Patent Medicine Dealers in the country.
“We further recommend rehabilitation of persons
that are addicted to drug by the Federal Government,” the PSN President said.
The group further admonished the National
Assembly(NA) to continue to be wary of attempts by some stakeholders in the
pharmaceutical sector who continue to sponsor bills geared towards attaining
autonomy as practitioners when the level of their training confers only a
sub-professional cadre at best.
“If such moves are allowed to succeed, the
National Assembly might only make consumers of health more susceptible and
vulnerable to the services of half-baked practitioners,” Yakasai warned.
He urged the National Assembly to ensure that the
Executive arm of the three principal health agencies constitutes the governing
council and boards of the plethora of professional bodies, Federal Health
Institutions (FHI) as well as key parastatals of the sector.
He said; “We strongly urge the National Assembly
to ensure that the Executive arm to constitute the governing council and boards
of the plethora of agencies, Federal Health Institutions as well as key
parastatals of the health sector.
“This is particularly germane to an effective
execution of the statutory mandate of the three principal agencies of the
Federal Government involved in drug distribution endeavours in Nigeria,”
Yakasai stressed.
“For the records, the three principal agencies of
the Federal Government are Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), National
Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and NDLEA.
“The PSN wishes Your Excellency an uncommon
success story as you continue to initiate beneficial Acts of Parliament for the
good of the Nigerian people,” Yakasai added.
