Chioma Umeha
Professor Christianah Adeyeye, the Director General of the
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said
the return of the Agency to the Ports, will restore its key responsibility of
monitoring imports of sensitive chemical substances, food, drug and other
regulated products.
Disclosing this in a statement, Adeyeye said NAFDAC, in
collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, and
with the active support of the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA,
will be returning to Ports and borders to effectively control the importation
of narcotic drugs and chemical substances identified to be grossly abused and
posing public health and security threats to the nation.
She said the training held under the auspices of the ONSA
with the theme “Towards a Secured Importation, Distribution, Storage and Use of
Chemicals in Nigeria” would enable NAFDAC continue its regulatory role of
monitoring imports of all substances that require expertise to monitor their industry-wide
application and use.
“NAFDAC wishes to commend the Office of the NSA, the
Chemical Society of Nigeria and other key stakeholders for recognising NAFDAC
as a key player in the national security architecture by this singular act of
restoring the presence of NAFDAC officials at all designated Ports of entry and
land borders.
“The laws that set up NAFDAC empower the Agency to
statutorily operate at the ports. The clearance of regulated products outside
of the current legal framework poses immediate and life threatening risks to
the public as unregistered, spurious and falsified products exit the ports
without recourse to the agency’s approval for such products to be in the
market.”
She said the laws that set up NAFDAC empower the agency to
statutorily operate at the ports. The clearance of regulated products outside
of the current legal framework poses immediate and life threatening risks to
the public as unregistered, spurious and falsified products exit the ports
without recourse to the agency’s approval for such products to be in the
market.
The laws that set up NAFDAC empower the agency to
statutorily operate at the ports. The clearance of regulated products outside
of the current legal framework poses immediate and life threatening risks to
the public as unregistered, spurious and falsified products exit the ports
without recourse to the Agency’s approval for such products to be in the
market.
It will be recalled that NAFDAC and a number of other
government Agencies, have bee n absent from the nation’s Ports and borders
since 2011 on orders of the Federal government.
A Communique issued last week at the end of the National
Chemical Security Training Conference in Abuja, had recommended return of
officials of the Agency to the Ports and borders.
