Chioma Umeha
In a bid to address the poor funding of National
Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the National
Assembly has promised to improve the agency’s budgetary allocations.
Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, Director Special Duties,
NAFDAC, in a statement at the weekend, said that Dr. Bukola Saraki, Senate
President, also pledged that the upper chamber would look into the overlapping
functions to create a platform for effective performance of the agency.
The House of Representatives has also acknowledged
that NAFDAC could only perform optimally on its mandate to fight against
counterfeit drugs and other substandard regulated products with improved
funding for its regulatory activities.
Saraki, who was spoke when Prof. Moji Adeyeye, the
newly appointed Director General of NAFDAC, paid him a courtesy visit in his
office on Thursday, particularly stressed that the Senate will tackle the
challenge of poor funding of the agency’s activities by improving budgetary
appropriation.
The Senate President further explained that NASS’
intervention will cover other legislative instruments necessary to address the
issue of overlapping functions with other regulatory agencies to give NAFDAC
the needed bite in the fight against counterfeits.
Saraki described the Director General as an
accomplished professional with a distinguished career, honest and passionate to
serve and called on her to bring her wealth of experience to bear on her new
assignment in repositioning NAFDAC.
Speaking further, he urged the management of NAFDAC
to support the new NAFDAC boss to succeed since she cannot do it alone, but
provide the direction needed for the agency to move to higher heights.
Earlier, the Director General of NAFDAC while
appealing for increased budgetary allocation to the agency explained that it
will position the agency in fighting the menace of counterfeiting more
effectively.
She said NAFDAC is burdened by a myriad of
challenges which currently limit its effective performance and discharge of its
statutory function of safeguarding public health.
The NAFDAC boss also said that the agency is in
dire need to retool her laboratories, noting that this is at the core of her
regulatory activities, apart from improved ICT infrastructure, disciplined and
motivated workforce.
Others are improved electricity supply,
stakeholders communication in addition to other liabilities that require proper
funding to address.
While promising to rejuvenate the war against
counterfeit regulated products in spite of dwindling finances, she urged NASS
not renege in its promise to urgently address the issue of overlapping
functions and mandates of other sister regulatory agencies to avoid friction.
The statement added that members of the House of
Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services were at the Headquarters of
NAFDAC on oversight function where they responded to the DG’s call for improved
funding. This they said is in view of the important role the agency plays in
the country.
