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Tag: NAFDAC

  • Tinubu approves new leadership in NCDC, re-appoints NAFDAC DG [See full appointments]

    Tinubu approves new leadership in NCDC, re-appoints NAFDAC DG [See full appointments]

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed a new Director-General for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Olajide Idris, who replaces Prof. Ifedayo Adetifa.

    He also named Dr. Mansur Kabir as the new Chairman of the board of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control and reappointed its Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Moji Adeyeye.

    Idris assumes office on February 19, 2024.

    Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, announced the appointments in a statement on Thursday titled ‘President Tinubu approves leadership changes in health and social welfare sector.’

    It reads: In furtherance of his determination to bring world-class standards to Nigerian public health administration and to manifest his commitment to deliver affordable and quality care to all Nigerians under governance and regulatory frameworks commensurate with international best practice, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment and reappointment of the following Board Chairpersons and Chief Executive Officers under the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare:

    (1) National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC):

    Board Chairperson: Dr. Mansur Kabir
    Chief Executive Officer: Prof. Moji Adeyeye

    (2) National Blood Service Commission (NBSC):

    Board Chairperson: Prof. Abba Zubairu
    Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Saleh Yuguda

    (3) Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN):

    Board Chairperson: Prof. Afolabi Lesi
    Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Fatima Kyari

    (4) Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN):

    Board Chairperson: Pharm. Wasilat Giwa
    Chief Executive Officer: Pharm. Ibrahim Ahmed

    (5) Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN):

    Board Chairperson: Dr. Babajide Salako
    Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Tosan Erhabor

    (6) Moddibo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola (MAUTH):

    Chief Medical Director / CEO: Prof. Adamu G. Bakari

    (7) Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua (ISTH):

    Chief Medical Director / CEO: Prof. Reuben Eifediyi

    Furthermore, as part of efforts to bolster the resiliency of Nigeria’s public health surveillance and security architecture, President Bola Tinubu approved the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to assume office on February 19, 2024:

    (8) Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC):

    Director-General / CEO: Dr. Olajide Idris

    Moreover, it is pertinent to note that President Tinubu has painstakingly considered the wealth of experience of each qualified and aforementioned Nigerian, who will be tasked with driving his Renewed Hope Agenda in the sector, some details of which include the following:

    New NCDC Director-General/CEO, Dr. Olajide Idris, received his MBBS degree from the University of Lagos’ College of Medicine, after which he obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the Ivy League’s Yale University in Connecticut, United States of America. He would go on to serve as the Commissioner of Health in Lagos State from 2007 to 2019, after serving as the Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Health from 1999 to 2007.

    New NBSC Chairperson, Prof. Abba Zubairu, PhD, has served as the Medical Director of the world-leading Mayo Clinic in the United States of America, following a long career in which he served as a Resident Doctor at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Hospital as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, and undertook a Clinical Fellowship at the Harvard Medical School’s Transfusion Medicine Programme during which he obtained a Master’s degree in Clinical Science at the same institution.

    New MDCN CEO, Dr. Fatima Kyari, PhD, is a renowned ophthalmologist and Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Medicine (FNAMed) who obtained an MBBS degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, after which she obtained a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) from the University of London’s School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before she obtained a Doctorate degree in Public Health from the same institution.

    The President expects that the new leadership across this critical human development sector will substantially raise the standards of healthcare service delivery for the exclusive benefit of all strata of the Nigerian population as his administration is committed to implementing a whole-of-government approach to transforming the sector to enhance aggregate national quality of life and productivity. Owing to the high cost of historical underperformance in the sector, the President anticipates the immediate and effective implementation of new policy frameworks to reposition the sector under the able leadership of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate.

  • Union seeks reversal of ban on sachet alcohol

    Union seeks reversal of ban on sachet alcohol

    Some members of the Food, Beverages and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) were at the office of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to appeal
    for reversal of the ban on production of alcohol in sachet.

    Mr Jimoh Oyibo, the National President of FOBTOB, an affiliate of Trade Union Congress (TUC), who spoke on behalf of the association, made the appeal and submitted a letter containing the demands of the union.

    NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, at a news conference
    on Monday Feb. 5, announced the ban on alcohol in sachet and small bottles below 200ml.

    Adeyeye said that the move was aimed at discouraging its consumption by youths who easily accessed the products in such containers at an affordable cost.

    She said the decision aligned with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, and for policy-makers to regulate marketing of alcoholic beverages to young people, with the goal of controlling and restricting the availability of the products.

    The NAFDAC boss explained that alcoholic products have adverse impact on younger generation, who should be safeguarded through
    necessary regulations such as the ban.

    However, the FOBTOB national president said that the ban would seriously affect members of the union, adding that a good number of members
    work in the distilling and blending companies.

    According to him, available data shows that more than 5,000 Nigerians work in the distilling and blending sector of the country’s economy.

    He said that the ban had led to the closure of some companies, adding that “the companies contribute significantly to the economy through
    job creation and taxes.

    “The sector is a chain, from the producer to the major marketers, distributors and retailers. The impact of the ban and the spiral effect
    on families who depend on the workers is huge.

    “Another effect is that it will promote smuggling, as unscrupulous elements will leverage the ban to flood markets with dangerous adulterated
    products, given the porosity of our borders.”

    Oyibo, therefore, urged NAFDAC to consider the union’s demands.

    Mr Adeyemi Omolehin, the Deputy Director, Human Resources, NAFDAC, who addressed the association members, promised to convey their
    message to the agency’s director-general.

     

  • Hoodlums attack NAFDAC officials in Abuja

    Hoodlums attack NAFDAC officials in Abuja

    Some hoodlums on Monday attacked officials of NAFDAC who were on enforcement operation against substandard drugs in Abuja.

    The officials were attacked by the hoodlums during a raid at Area 1 motor park.

    The hoodlums harassed the enforcement officers including mobile policemen, and stoned  the Agency’s vehicle, breaking its windscreen.

    It took the effort of police officers, who shot into the air several times, and released teargas to disperse the hoodlums before journalists and the NAFDAC officers could scamper for safety.

    The team leader, Mr Umar-Ahmed Suleiman, an  Assistant Chief Regulatory Officer, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said the raid followed intelligence received by the Agency of high volume of substandard drugs in the park.

    “This exercise that we just conducted today at Area 1 motor park is as a result of intelligence report received from DSS in 2023, although we have done some part of it then, we are trying to conclude the operation.

    “You can see a lot of drug hawkers relaxed selling their products and people patronising them, that was why we raided the place.

    “What happened is a normal thing to us in the investigation and enforcement unit of NAFDAC.

    “That is why anytime we are going, we go with our armed mobile police officers, and Investigative Police Officers in case of any arrest.

    “On our arrival here today, we swung into action but to my surprise, we have not even done half of the work, when the drug hawkers all absconded, not knowing that they were re-enforcing against NAFDAC.

    “They came back in full force, attacking us, you can see our vehicle how they broke the glass, throwing stones on us.

    “Thank God for the gunshot and teargas released on them and we had to leave the scene,” he said.

    Suleiman, however, said that the enforcement unit would reenforce, prepare more, do the needful.

    He said in spite of the attack, the enforcement team was able to seize some controlled drugs including Rohypnol, Dizapam, Tramadol 500mg, Tramadol 225mg, Cocodamol and so many other afrodisiac with some codeine syrups.

    According to him, the value of the drug seized is more than N5 million.

    “Area 1 motor park is a troublesome area for substandard drug sales and the enforcement unit will be going back there to complete the operation,” he said.

  • NAFDAC penalises pizza outlets in FCT over use of expired seasoning

    NAFDAC penalises pizza outlets in FCT over use of expired seasoning

    The FCT Directorate of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has penalised two pizza outlets in the FCT for using expired dough blend seasoning.

    The FCT Director of the agency, Mr Ozigis Abdulsalam, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

    He stated that the FCT department of the agency acted upon an intelligence information and carried out inspection on pizza outlets and discovered that two of them were using expired dough blend seasoning.

    He added that the two outlets were also using deep ham slices in the preparation of their pizzas.

    He said that the act amounted to dereliction of best practices “and can jeopardise food safety and lead to public health issue.”

    Abdulsalam added that the ingredients were seized and the company was penalised.

    According to him, the company is expected to submit an undertaking not to be found engaging in such poor practice again.

  • Ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets, a collective decision – Adeyeye

    Ban on alcoholic beverages in sachets, a collective decision – Adeyeye

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that the ban on production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles below 200mls was a collective decision.

    The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known in a statement she signed on Thursday in Abuja.

    She emphasised that the ban was a collective recommendation of a committee, and listed representatives in the committee as: Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

    Other representatives are: Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), and the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN).

    She explained that the recommendation to ban these categories of alcohol was not hasty, as it had been a five year phase out plan.

    She stated that “it is also important to clarify that the implementation of the ban on alcohol in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles was not hasty.

    “It is in line with the five-year phase-out plan of the affected presentations of alcoholic beverages which started in January 2019 and ended on Jan. 31, 2024.

    “The five-year period granted to the industry stakeholders was a practical, reasonable and sufficient time for full compliance with the phase out of the production of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles below 200mls.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, it is important to emphasise that the ban only affects alcoholic beverages in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles below 200mls.

    “Other presentations of alcoholic beverages are not affected by the ban, and therefore are still permitted for manufacture, importation, distribution, sale and use in Nigeria.”

    Adeyeye said NAFDAC remained fully alive to her responsibilities and committed to putting the health of Nigerians in the forefront of regulatory actions, as the population’s health was the wealth of the nation.

    She added that the primary focus of the ban was as a result of its accessibility, affordable, and portable presentation of high content alcohol in sachets and small volume PET and glass bottles below 200mls.

    She explained that the ban is in the interest of the health of the under-aged, vulnerable children and the larger society beyond the negative health consequences.

    According to her, the ban is also to curb increasing vices attributable to harmful use of alcohol.

    She, therefore, called for continued support, cooperation and collaboration of Nigerians in the task of safeguarding the health of the nation.

  • Reps to probe NAFDAC’s ban on alcoholic beverage in sachets as CSOs protest in Abuja [Photos]

    Reps to probe NAFDAC’s ban on alcoholic beverage in sachets as CSOs protest in Abuja [Photos]

    … demand removal of DG

    The House of Representatives has mandated its committee on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to probe the circumstances surrounding the ban imposed on the production of beverages in sachets and small bottles in Nigeria by the agency.

    This was sequel to a motion moved on the floor of the Green Chamber by members Paschal Agbodike and Philip Agbese during the plenary session on Wednesday.

    Also, Civil Society Organisations in Abuja demand the immediate removal of NAFDAC DG in Abuja.

    Recall that in January this year, NAFDAC banned the production of beverages in small sachets and bottles for reasons not unconnected with the prevailing cases of drug abuse in the country, especially by some young Nigerians.

    Leading the debate on the motion, Agbbodike noted that Section 4(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), empowers the National Assembly to make laws for the order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof.

    He also noted that Sections 88(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), empower the National Assembly to conduct investigations into the activities of any authority executing or administering laws made by the National Assembly including National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

    He said, “NAFDAC had announced its decision to stop the registration of beverages in small sachets and bottles in January 2024 when the Director General of the Agency informed the public that the agency will ensure that the validity of renewal of already registered products will not exceed January 2024.

    “The decision to ban the registration of beverages in small sachets and bottles runs counter to the spirit and letter of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and runs against the Economic Recovery Plan of the current administration.”

    He argued that the House is worried that given the numerous economic challenges confronting poor Nigerians, “The ban on the production of the said beverages will work more havoc and cause job losses for over 50 per cent of the workers in Nigeria.

    “The need to encourage the sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises which are the greatest employer of labour in Nigeria, employing over 84 per cent of the workforce in Nigeria, NAFDAC’s policy to place a ban on the production of beverages in small sachets and bottles will be counterproductive.

    “The decision to place a ban on the production of beverages in small sachets and bottles will encourage unscrupulous elements to go about the production of such drinks and products without recourse to NAFDAC.

    He further explained that the ban on the registration of beverages in small sachets and bottles will worsen the poverty situation in the country.

    The motion was subsequently referred to the Committee on NAFDAC for further legislative input.

    Meanwhile, no fewer than 100 civil society groups, Wednesday, held what it described as a ‘Let The Poor Live’ protest in Abuja to challenge the ban on sachet and PET bottles of alcoholic drinks by the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    Led by the Coalition Against Economic Saboteurs, the groups also called for the immediate sack of the NAFDAC DG Prof. Moji Adeyeye for her anti-people policies.

    The groups lamented that the new policy would further pile more problems on the  Nigerian economy as it may lead to the eventual shutdown of the industries producing these products.

    They further decried that Adeyeye is being used by multinationals to destroy small businesses in our local production and companies.

    “Today, we address a matter of grave concern, the recent decision by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojo Adeyeye, to ban the sale of beverages in small sachets. We view this policy as a direct assault on the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians, a move that will not only put countless citizens out of work but also exacerbate the existing problems of insecurity and unemployment in our nation,” Comrade Kabir Matazu said on behalf of the groups.

    “We strongly condemn this ill-thought-out policy, which seems disconnected from the realities faced by the ordinary Nigerian citizens. NAFDAC leadership abandoned their core responsibility of focusing on issues that truly threaten the well-being of our people, such as the inflow of fake and substandard drugs, we find the Director General choosing to target a sector that provides employment for many Nigerians and serves the needs of millions of families.

    “Professor Mojo Adeyeye’s tenure at NAFDAC has, regrettably, been marked by a series of disappointments and failures to deliver the desired results. Rather than ensuring the safety of our food and drugs, we have witnessed a surge in counterfeit beverages, creating a pervasive doubt about the authenticity of what our citizens consume.

    Ben Omale also called on all stakeholders to unite against the leadership of Professor Mojo Adeyeye.

    “We demand her immediate suspension from office by the President in order to avert further damage to our economy, job losses, and business closures. It is imperative that NAFDAC should be led by someone who prioritizes the real issues affecting our nation’s health and economic stability.”

  • Over 50% of imported pharmaceuticals’ certificates are fake – NAFDAC

    Over 50% of imported pharmaceuticals’ certificates are fake – NAFDAC

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said over 50 per cent of certificates of pharmaceutical products that are imported into Nigeria are fake.

    Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Christianah Adeyeye, disclosed this, at a stakeholders’ engagement meeting with regulators, policymakers and law enforcement agencies in Abuja.

    The Certificate of a Pharmaceutical Product (CPP) is issued in the format recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and it establishes the status of the pharmaceutical product and the applicant for the certificate in the exporting country. It is for a single product only, since manufacturing arrangements and approved information for different dosage forms and different strengths can vary.

    Adeyeye said the stakeholders’ engagement was to ensure that medical products in circulation were of the right quality, safe and efficacious.

    She noted that substandard and falsified products threaten access to safe, efficacious and affordable medicines, and undermine the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Africa.

    “We have 55 countries in Africa and we are member states, who agreed to ensure that products coming to the region are of quality. WHO created a scheme called CPP, and what this means is that if we send a CPP out to another country, we are assuring the receiving country that it will be of quality.

    “Most of our medicines come from South-East Asia and we belong to the member states too. We have a scheme where, before medicines that are approved leave that part of the world, we do pre-shipment testing, and that comes with CPP to assure us of quality. But that is not the case, because through our scheme, we have been able to stop over 140 products that were approved from coming in. We found out that more than 50 per cent of the CPPs that come into our country are fake. Part of the responsibility is our people that go to China or India, but we are going to deal with it.”

  • Majority certificates of imported pharmaceutical products are fake, says NAFDAC

    Majority certificates of imported pharmaceutical products are fake, says NAFDAC

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has stated that more than 50 per cent of certificates of pharmaceutical products that are imported into Nigeria are fake.

    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, made this statement at the stakeholders’ engagement meeting with regulators, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies on Monday in Abuja.

    The certificate of a pharmaceutical product is issued in the format recommended by the World Health Organisation, and it establishes the status of the pharmaceutical product and the applicant for the certificate in the exporting country. It is for a single product only since manufacturing arrangements and approved information for different dosage forms and different strengths can vary.

    Adeyeye said the goal of the engagement meeting with the stakeholders is to ensure that medical products in circulation are of the right quality, safe, and efficacious.

    She said that substandard and falsified products threaten access to safe efficacious and affordable medicines, and undermine the achievement of universal health coverage in Nigeria, and Africa.

    “We have 55 countries in Africa and we belong to the Member States globally and we agreed to ensure that products coming to the region are of quality and WHO created a scheme called certificate of pharmaceutical product, and what this means is that if we send a certificate of pharmaceutical product out to another country, we are assuring the receiving country that it will be of quality.

    “Most of our medicines come from South East Asia and we belong to the member states too. We have a scheme where before medicines that were approved leave that part of the world, we do pre-shipment testing, and that comes with CPP to assure us of quality, but that is not the case, because through our scheme we have been able to stop over 140 products that were approved from coming in.

    “We found out that more than 50 per cent of the CPPs that come into our country are fake. Part of the responsibility is our people that go to China or India and we are going to deal with it. It’s a Member States issue, and we are going to deal with it.

    “We are very stringent than ever and there is no cutting of corners, we have blocklisted many companies, we have sanctioned them because we want people to respect our people. Trade is a mutual agreement and if that agreement is harming one part of the agreement, we will stop it. If a company is suspected to be compromising, in two hours we will be there, and we will shut the company down,” she noted.

    The NAFDAC boss lamented that the relatively high prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines in Africa is a major threat to public health.

    According to her, the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines in the region is due to limited regulation processes.

    “Only about 10 per cent of national regulatory agencies have attained maturity level three. What leads to maturity level three is market control, and that is one of the nine models of maturity level three, so we have a lot of work to do in Africa.

    “The NAFDAC’s mandate puts a burden on us to see a reduction in substandard and falsified medicines, both the ones that are locally manufactured and the ones that are imported.

    “NAFDAC is doing its best to fight substandard and falsified medicines and products based on three thematic areas, which are to prevent, detect, and respond. It is a community effort to fight this and we seek partnership to find out lapses so we can fight it,” she stated.

  • No more alcohol in sachets, pet bottles – NAFDAC

    No more alcohol in sachets, pet bottles – NAFDAC

    National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for stoppage of production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml by distillers.

    Mr Kazeem Adeniran, Assistant Chief Regulator Officer, Investigation and Enforcement Department, NAFDAC, Lagos, made the call at a two-day enforcement exercise on Monday in Ota, Ogun.

    Adeniran said that his call was in line with the agreement reached by a tripartite committee set up in 2018.

    He said that part of the agreement was that distillers, under Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), should stop the production of alcohol in sachets and pet bottles of less than 200ml with effect from Jan. 31.

    Adeniran said that the five-year grace was given to phase out the product.

    The enforcement exercise was carried out in Ota and its environs to safeguard the lives of Nigerians.

    Some of the companies visited for enforcement were: Nigeria Distilleries Limited, International Distillers Limited, Danzchiji Global Nigeria Enterprises and Euro Global Foods and Distilleries Limited, among others.

    Adeniran said that the federal ministry of health had set up the committee in 2018, of which NAFDAC and DIBAN were members, with other stakeholders to curb abuse of alcohol, especially among the youth.

    Adeniran said that the alcohol above 200ml was approved by the committee for DIBAN members, expressing the regret, however, that what the investigation and enforcement team saw was different from what was agreed upon.

    He admonished them against flouting the agreement reached by the tripartite committee in 2018.

    “These companies were still producing those alcohols below 200ml at as the time we carried this enforcement exercise, which is not supposed to be.

    “It is clearly stated after the meeting in 2018 that they should stop the production of such alcohol in sachets and pet bottles by 2024 and embark on production of alcohol above 200ml.

    “Therefore, we are not expecting to see these alcohol sachets and pet bottles in any Nigerian market for consumption,” he said.

    Adeniran said that all the products placed on hold in each of the companies visited would be evacuated, forfeited and destroyed.

    He reiterated NAFDAC’s commitment to ensuring that goods being made available to Nigerians were safe for consumption.

  • NAFDAC warns  customs agents against complicity in illegal importation of syringes

    NAFDAC warns  customs agents against complicity in illegal importation of syringes

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned against importation of syringes from foreign countries, saying the act may kill local pharmaceutical industries.

    This is contained in a statement signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday .

    Adeyeye admonished members of the new executive of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) who were on a courtesy visit to her office in Lagos to think more of the interest of the country above personal as a clearing agents in the nation’s ports.

    She enjoined the  agents to join forces with the NAFDAC to end the rejection of Nigerian food exported to EU, USA and other western countries.

    She also narrated how she marveled at the stupendous investments committed to local production of Syringes in Nigeria by a local pharmaceutical company during a recent facility tour.

    The NAFDAC boss said that the standard of the facilities she met on ground was comparable to those found in the U.S. or any country in Europe.

    She said after the facility tour and being led into the warehouse, she was highly disturbed at the sight of huge unsold products.

    She said that over 1.5 billion units of the product were lying untouched in the warehouse due to low sales, exacerbated by the influx of imported syringes into the country, in spite of the high import duty slammed on the product to protect the local market.

    She also  noted with regrets that intelligence reports reaching her indicated that some compromises were being made at the port of entry in allowing illegal importation of unregistered containers of syringes into the country.

    The NAFDAC D-G revealed that a publication by the United States Food and Drug Agency (USFDA) stated that some syringes that came from Southeast Asia were of bad quality

    Adeyeye wondered that those products didn’t fly by night into warehouses in Nigeria, but through individuals.

    The NAFDAC boss expressed sympathy for manufacturers, stating that she was pained by the challenges of not making sales, especially after investing a significant amount of money.

    Adeyeye explained the important role of  licensed customs agents as pivotal in facilitating the legal and safe import and export of goods, ensuring compliance with required standards.

    She welcomed the familiarisation visit, highlighting its objective in establishing effective collaboration and cooperation.

    She said the visit would enhance the positioning and promotion of trade in regulated products, both at the domestic and in the international market.

    She also noted that the visit and discussion were important, considering the volume of food and agricultural commodities from Nigeria currently facing challenges of rejection at entry points in some foreign countries.

    ‘’Nigeria has lost billions of naira in trade that could have benefitted our people.

    “About 70 per cent of our exports are rejected, food products especially; all these rejected products did not go through NAFDAC regulatory assessment, it disgraces us as a country.

    She said further that it had become a great issue of concern the number of substandard products coming into the country.

    “That is why I attach importance to this association because the goods that are either imported or exported, often play a crucial role in determining the strength of our economy.

    In the area of exports, she said the international market was competitive in nature.

    According to her, only products of high quality with relevant certifications and quality packaging was acceptable to the global trade.

    She noted with dismay that the problem of quality, standard, certification and appropriate packaging for made-in-Nigeria products destined for export had been an issue in the international market.

    She  however, emphasized the need to address the issue of rejections, adding that some exporters obtained the wrong documentation, especially fake lab results, instead of bringing their products to NAFDAC’s ISO 17025:2015 accredited labs for analysis.

    According to her, NAFDAC is the competent authority in Nigeria charged with the responsibility to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and consumption of drugs, food and other regulated products.

    ’”NAFDAC, having attained the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems that covers all her regulatory processes and procedures and certified WHO GBT maturity level 3, places great premium on deepening use of science in its regulatory processes and self-developments.

    ’’The D-G however pointed out that the agency believed in collaborative efforts with both local and international organizations to complement her robust regulatory policies geared in protecting consumers and promoting public health.

    She also said that the agency was committed to ensuring that only regulated products and the systems for the production were safe for public consumption.

    According to her, the agency has analysed the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) alert from the EU and observed that most rejected products by the EU having failed the relevant tests, did not have the appropriate documentation/certifications.

    She said that such situation really called for proper collaboration and synergy among all stakeholders to curb the negative behaviour of some of those exporters and ensure only quality and certified products were exported.

    Adeyeye told the guests that as licensed custom agents, they were responsible to let their members know the importance of assessment and accompanying shipping documents, adding that goods were cleared through customs with all necessary regulations.

    The National President of ANLCA, Mr Emenike Nwokochi, who spoke in the same vein, lamented that it was shameful to buy yam abroad and be told that it was from Ghana when Nigeria was the highest producer of the product.

    He  said that Nigerians could not do anything to help the Naira even when it continued to fall.

    He, however, pledged his association’s resolve to work in collaboration with NAFDAC to achieve the common goal of developing the nation’s economy.