From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The National Agency for Food Drugs and Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reinstated its commitment to rid the country of the menace of falsified medical products, unwholesome food, harmful Cosmetics, poorly packaged water and other substandard regulated products.
NAFDAC Director General Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye made the pledge at the sensitisation programme on Thursday in Ilorin with stakeholders in the manufacturing, medical, foodstuff business and market women.
The DG, who was represented by the Zonal Director NAFDAC, North Central, Mrs Bolaji Abayomi noted that ‘public awareness campaign is one of the veritable regulatory mechanisms put in place by NAFDAC to promote and protect the health of our people. A well informed, sensitised and educated Citizenry is the bedrock of effective regulation. This is why the event is another major milestone in our bid to protect Nigerians against the deleterious effects of unwholesome food, falsified medical products, harmful cosmetics, poor water and other substandard regulated products.
According to the DG, ‘the sensitisation campaign scheduled, the first phase to hold in eight states of the federation – Abuja, Bauchi, Kebbi, Rivers, Osun, Edo, Sokoto and Kwara States.
‘The key objective of this sensitisation programme is to intensify and expand the scope of our informal and formal behaviour change communication strategies in order to reach the vulnerable communities especially at the grassroots.
‘Dissemination of Food and Drug safety information is an important aspect of our regulatory work. It is common knowledge that Nigeria has a preponderant share of the global problem of falsified medical products and unwholesome food. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the problem with the challenge posed by substandard and falsified Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). The sensitisation campaigns will therefore contribute significantly to Federal Government’s concerted efforts to inform, sensitise, educate and alert the public about inherent dangers of intake and use of those spurious regulated products.
‘The campaign themes are multifaceted with clear, concise, informative and educative messages aimed at arousing the awareness and consciousness of the general public about the various infractions that impact negatively on our healthcare delivery system. These campaign themes intend to address the following public health challenges: Dangers of buying medicines from hawkers. Patients are to buy medicines from only licensed pharmacies and medicine stores; Abuse of codeine and self-medication, especially among youths. The dangerous effects of using a kerosene tanker to load groundnut oil. Dangerous practice of using potassium bromate to bake bread. Use of Azo-dyes in palm oil which causes cancer; Dangers of using Sniper to preserve any type of food or to keep flies away from meat; Dangers of transfat and consumption of excessive oil; Use of formalin on food and its associated health hazards; Low level of exclusive breastfeeding practice by lactating mothers and its associated health hazards; Dangers of wrong use of pesticides and insecticides; Wrong use of chemicals and its hazardous effects; Problem of antimicrobial resistance arising from animal meat.’
She commended the mass media, vibrant youth organisations and civil societies in the pilot states will be in the forefront of the sensitisation campaigns. The target audiences are market women and men, road transport workers and employers, community youth organisations and students.
According to her, we have engaged the services of a project consultant to drive the sensitisation campaigns and it is gratifying to note that the campaign materials are ready to be deployed on the field. It is our expectation that at the end of the campaigns, the participants and target audiences would become dependable partners and allies of NAFDAC and be in the forefront of sustaining the public awareness campaigns by disseminating the information and messages to the grassroots. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the various communities take ownership of the care and management of their own health.
The DG noted that this sensitisation programme could not have been possible without the support and encouragement of the Distinguished Members of the Senate Committee on Health and Honourable Members of the House Committee on Healthcare Services. ‘On this note, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator (Dr) Ibrahim Oloriegbe and his counterpart in the House Committee Hon (Dr) Yusuf Tanko Sununu for their invaluable contributions and support for this programme and other regulatory activities of the Agency.’
She lauded members of the press for unalloyed support. We will continue to count on your collaboration as the Agency intends to organise in phases and stagger the sensitisation campaigns to cover all 36 states of the federation within available resources.
The NAFDA boss reassured that ‘NAFDAC under my watch will not leave any stone unturned in our concerted efforts to rid the country of the menace of falsified medical products, unwholesome food, harmful cosmetics, poorly packaged water and other substandard regulated products.’