News
Wake Up, NAFDAC!
In the recent past, the sales of counterfeit drugs in patent medicine shops across the country by those ubiquitous medicine dealers, have reached a frenetic and feverish pitch. Yet, the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was set up to halt the manufacture and sales of adulterated drugs in the nation’s cities, towns and villages.
Yes, it is an incontrovertible fact that the fight against fake drugs has over the years been a national question in the nation’s polity. Well, the effort of officials of NAFDAC to reduce to the barest minimum, the sales of counterfeit drugs, appears not to have yielded the desired result.
Sadly, Nigerians and indeed residents of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, may have been stunned to hear that over 90 per cent of the pharmaceutical and patent medicine stores in Port Harcourt sell fake drugs to members of the public. This is indeed, unfortunate, to say the least!
Mr Momodu Segiru, Director of the Port Harcourt Inspectorate Directorate of NAFDAC, said the discovery followed a mechanical test carried out last Monday on drugs in circulation in the Port Harcourt metropolis, and announced that the test was part of the agency’s nationwide sensitization campaign to ascertain the level of fake and substandard drugs in circulation with the aim of mopping up dangerous drugs and identifying their sources.
According to Mr Segiru, the exercise was also to demonstrate the use of the “true scan” equipment for on the spot testing of drugs, and noted that the machine (true scan) has indeed, brought some speed and accuracy in NAFDAC’s operations, as massive failure was recorded in Choba, Mile One and some other areas of Port Harcourt.
To the chagrin of NAFDAC officials, it was also discovered that all the drug stores tested in Rumuokwurusi and Woji areas of Port Harcourt, recorded failure in one drug or the other, an obvious indication that very limited wholesome drugs are in circulation in Port Harcourt and its suburbs.
Oddly enough, with the discovery that over 90 per cent of drugs sold in patent medicine shops in Port Harcourt are fake, it is certainly not an overstatement that the life of most residents are now in great danger, apparently caused by those ubiquitous patent medicine dealers. Indeed, it also rubbished the image of NAFDAC, as the agency charged with the responsibility of policing the manufacturers and wholesalers of fake drugs in the country.
The question now is: What were the officials of NAFDAC in Port Harcourt doing when the spate of fake drugs in circulation got to 90 per cent level? Undoubtedly, this is an indication that the agency’s personnel are not doing enough to nip in the bud the antics of adulterated drug dealers.
Again, if 90 per cent of the pharmaceutical and patent medicine shops in Port Harcourt sell counterfeit drugs to members of the public, then only heavens know the spate of fake drugs being sold in the 23 local government areas of the state. This is why NAFDAC officials must wake up from their stupor and move into the grassroots in order to halt the trend.
All said, not too long ago, NAFDAC shut over 200 patent medicine shops in Cross River State, as announced by the Deputy Coordinator of NAFDAC in the state, Abdulkarim Razaz. He said in his office in Calabar that the campaign against fake and adulterated drugs would continue as long as patent drug dealers did not discontinue in the nefarious trade of selling fake drugs.
While commending the effort of NAFDAC officials for shutting down over 200 patent medicine shops in the state, one is at a loss to understand why over 200 patent medicine stores were still operating in the state right under the nose of officials of NAFDAC serving in that state
Beyond that, the authorities of NAFDAC must spread their dragnets to all the nooks and crannies in the state in order to apprehend more patent medicine stores, still selling fake and counterfeit drugs. This, would in no mean way, reduce (drastically) the danger being faced by consumers of fake drugs in the state.
Obviously, Rivers and Cross River states are not the only states enveloped in the sale of fake and counterfeit drugs. Therefore, NAFDAC authorities must beef up their investigations into the existence of patent medicine shops, dealing on fake drugs in the country.
One’s position on this touchy issue is premised on confirmed reports that the nation’s cities, towns and villages are again facing the emergence of patent medicine shops, selling fake drugs, few months after the exist of the immediate past director-general of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili.
That being so, one believes that the time has come for the authorities of the agency to set up a technical committee in every state of the federation, that would monitor (on regular basis) the sale of counterfeit drugs in the cities, towns and villages across the country.
Yes, NAFDAC’s desire to win the war on fake drugs, can only be achieved if the agency carries its investigations to the villages because, it has been confirmed that counterfeit drugs are sold with ease in the nation’s villages than cities and towns.
Friday Nwinudee
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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