growing health risks posed by the consumption of fake and counterfeit drugs and food stuff in the country, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged the National Assembly to expedite action on a bill to impose more penalties on offenders.
While reaffirming its commitment to eradicating the menace of counterfeit drugs and unwholesome products from the Nigerian market, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, said that stiffer penalties, without an option of a fine, would discourage perpetrators from engaging in such illicit acts.
In a statement signed by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, the DG vowed to reduce counterfeit drugs and unwholesome food to the barest minimum and make the illicit trade unattractive to the merchants of death.
She said the agency is intensifying efforts to ensure the safety of drugs and food consumed by Nigerians.
In response to alleged poor enforcement against fake drug manufacturers and sellers of substandard food and beverages, Adeyeye said despite numerous life-threatening encounters and attacks on NAFDAC officers, they have not relented in their efforts to check the nefarious activities.
Adeyeye assured Nigerians that the agency remains undeterred in its mission to safeguard their health.
She urged citizens to assist by providing useful information on the activities of counterfeiters, emphasizing that: “They live and operate in our midst. We should say something when we see something.”
The DG called for the support of the 10th National Assembly to ensure the expedited review of penalties against counterfeiting.
