In a bid to live up to its mission, to safeguard the health of Nigerians by ensuring that only the right quality of food, drugs and other regulated products are manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, distributed, sold and used, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed off some shops in Lagos over the sales of controlled and unregistered drugs in the company.
Speaking during an enforcement exercise in Oke-Arin, Idumota, Lagos, the deputy director, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, NAFDAC, Afolabi Aderemi, said the move was apt considering the health implications these drugs have on unsuspecting consumers and members of the public.
Aderemi said the drugs seized are classified as schedule one drugs and should only be sold by the Federal Ministry of Health through their medical stores nationwide.
âThe enforcement is an ongoing exercise and we are specifically here because of the investigation of some uncontrolled drugs and by virtue of international convention, they schedule one drug that ought not to be sold individually.
âWe have evidence that some of these dealers are operating in this illegal business. We have some evidence and that is why we are sealing the shops and we have also invited them to the office to come and clarify themselves,â he said.
On the prevalence of fake drugs despite punitive measures by the agency, he noted that âThe issue is that we are dealing with an organised crime here and by virtue of the amount of money in it, it is very tempting, but we are appealing to people at every opportunity we have to say to them to stay away from buying unregistered and controlled products that are not supposed to be sold by this patent medicine and other pharmacyâ.
He advised consumers to always insist on patronising nationwide stores approved by the Federal Ministry of Health Control to buy their schedule one drugs.
âWhoever wants to source for it must visit the Federal Ministry of Health Control and not any other place. Patronizing this set of unscrupulous individuals has health implications for the public because it can get into the wrong hands. These drugs are very prone to abuse and dependency,â he stated.
Mr Innocent Ezennia the first vice chairman, Lagos State Medicine Dealers Association, Island Zone, said the inspection by NAFDAC is apt, and that it is vital for sanitising the industry.
