Nkechinyere Ewa
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has inaugurated the Ebonyi State Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods to strengthen the fight against the circulation of harmful medicines and unsafe packaged food products.
The inauguration, which took place at IMPACT Hall, Block 5, Centenary City in Abakaliki, attracted key stakeholders drawn from NAFDAC, the Ebonyi State Ministry of Health, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria and the Nigerian Police Force.
Speaking on behalf of the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Christiana Adeyeye, the NAFDAC South-East Zonal Director, Festus Ukadike, outlined the objectives of the enforcement initiative and urged Ebonyi State to take the lead in confronting the growing threat of counterfeit medicines and unsafe processed foods.
Ukadike noted that fake drugs and substandard food products endanger lives, undermine healthcare outcomes, distort markets and increase healthcare costs and productivity losses.
According to him, the task force will enforce standards, coordinate intelligence-driven surveillance, remove illegal products from circulation and support legitimate manufacturers and traders by ensuring that compliant businesses are not undermined by counterfeiters and illegal operators.
He added that the task force would also conduct coordinated market inspections and rapid testing where necessary, with transparent reporting to the Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Federal Task Force, Martin Iluyomade, who joined the event virtually from Lagos, explained that the task force derives its legal backing from an Act of the National Assembly and supersedes any similar task force set up by a state government.
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Health, Moses Ekuma, described the circulation of harmful drugs and unhealthy foods as a serious threat to human existence, noting that the menace kills silently, weakens healthcare systems and disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable.
Ekuma thanked the Minister of Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Director-General of NAFDAC for their interventions in the health sector, while also commending Ebonyi State Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and his wife, Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru, for prioritizing healthcare in the state.
The commissioner revealed that the ministry had already begun tackling the problem of fake drugs through the establishment of the Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency, which is responsible for procuring medicines directly from manufacturers and supplying them through the central medical store to ensure that drugs in state-owned facilities are affordable and genuine.
Earlier, the Ebonyi State NAFDAC Coordinator, Emeka Orajiaka, stressed that the fight against counterfeit drugs and unwholesome processed foods cannot be handled by NAFDAC alone, expressing optimism that the collaborative efforts of the newly inaugurated task force would significantly improve public health protection in the state.
Responding on behalf of members, the Chairman of the task force, Gabriel Ajah, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lawrence Ezeogo, pledged that the team would operate with professionalism, integrity and transparency while working with relevant agencies, manufacturers, regulatory bodies and the judiciary to dismantle networks profiting from the sale of harmful products.
The event also featured the administration of the oath of office to members of the Ebonyi State Task Force by NAFDAC Legal Officer, Jombo Washington Adumen.
