Rivers
Fake Drugs: NAFDAC, Drug Dealers Trade Blames
The National Food and Drug Administrations Control (NAFDAC), has come under serious knocks from the National Association of Patent Medicine Dealers (NAPMD) in Rivers State over rising incidence of fake drugs in the state.
The two bodies, while trading blames at a one day seminar organised by the agency for Patent and Proprietory Medicine Dealers in Port Harcourt said both were responsible for the menace.
Responding to a paper titled, “Health Implications of Adulterated Products and Substandard Regulated Products” presented by Dr. Musa Umar of the Port Inspection Unit of NAFDAC, Chairman of NAPMD in Port Harcourt Mr. Onyewoke Justin said the agency failed in sanitinising membership of the body, but rather registered all sorts of persons as far as they are able to pay the fees.
Mr. Onyewoke flaked NAFDAC in the state for poor supervision and control at the local levels, since a lot of its members st the local areas were in dire need of constant training to meet challenges.
Another member of NAPMD in Eleme Unit, Patience Eke picked holes on the agency’s lapses in registration and approval of drugs.
Eke argued that at most times most of the drugs disapproved by NAFDAC still have the agency’s numbers as she decried the contradictory adverts made by the agency on list of drugs endorsed by it.
She submitted that the posture of NAFDAC at most times betrays their position on banning harmful drugs.
Some of the drugs under controversy include Novalgin, Ibrufen and antesonates – covering some anti-malarials that have been banned for retail by drug dealers.
Similarly, Baribo Kunanwe observed that since NAFDAC has failed in checking the influx of fake drugs in the state the establishment of a Central Drug Store was necessary.
He said if a Central Drug Store was established it would ensure that patent medicine dealers buy genuine products from the authorities.
Mr. Kunanwe also knocked NAFDAC for the increasing number of quacks in the industry. He insisted that unless the federal agency was alive to its responsibilities the menace of fake drugs would persist.
Responding, Dr. Musa Umar Deputy Director of Port Inspection said the burden of checking fake drugs was not the responsibility of the agency but all, especially the drug dispensers.
He emphasised that any drug that does not have NAFDAC registration number should be discarded, while condemning the attitude of most patent medicine drugs dealers for evading registration and training.
Meanwhile the Rivers State Government has threatened to arrest any patent medicine dealer who indulges in the sale of fake and counterfeit drugs to the public.
The State Commissioner for Health Dr. Sampson Parker who said this while declaring open a sensitisation workshop for Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers organised by the National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Port Harcourt yesterday also threatened to close down any patent medicine store whose licences have not been renewed.
The Commissioner who was represented by Dr. Elizabeth Didia the secretary of the Rivers State Taskforce on fake and counterfeit Drug said that the workshop is an indication of the high regard which both the federal and state Governments have for them.
Dr. Parker who chaired the occasion stressed the need for them to assist the government by exposing those who continue to deal in fake and counterfeit drugs.
Meanwhile the National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has adopted the use of cutting Edge Technologies to check the incidence of fake and adulterated drugs in the country.
The Director General of the Agency Dr. Paul Orii who disclosed this in Port Harcourt that the move has not only boosted the International ratings of NAFDAC but more positive results in the fight against fake drugs are being obtained.
The Director General who was represented by the South South Zonal Director of the Agency, Mrs Lilian Duru also said that the Agency has become the first to deploy Truscan, a hand held device at borders and within the country to counterfeit medicine on the spot.
The Agency he said has also launched the world’s first mobile Authentication service which uses test messages for end-Patient regulated medication authentication while a Radio frequency identification system for verification of regulated products and documents have also been launched.
John Bibor
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) will inaugurate its newly elected National Exexutive, led by President-elect Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, during its 2026 Annual General Conference scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, between August 21 and 28.
Badejo-Okusanya emerged winner of the association’s Presidential election conducted through electronic voting, polling 12,317 votes to defeat her two male challengers and become the 33rd President of the NBA.
According to the final results released by the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA), the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) secured 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 valid votes cast in the election.
Her closest rival, Lateef Omoyemi Akangbe (SAN), garnered 7,934 votes, representing 30.39 per cent, while Olumu Akinboro (SAN) polled 5,855 votes, or 22.43 per cent.
Her election is historic, as she becomes only the second woman to lead the NBA in its 66-year history, following Priscilla Kuye, who served as the association’s first female president between 1991 and 1992.
The inauguration of Badejo-Okusanya and other newly elected national officers will be one of the major highlights of this year’s Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, which is expected to attract thousands of lawyers, judges, legal scholars and policymakers from across Nigeria and beyond.
Called to the Nigerian Bar in 2002, Badejo-Okusanya studied Law at the University of Lagos after earning a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English from the same institution.
She began her legal career at Olaniwun Ajayi LP and, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to legal practice, was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on September 29, 2025.
Her career has combined legal practice with public service. In 2007, she was appointed Senior Special Assistant on Justice Sector Reform to the then Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, working in the office of the then Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olasupo Shasore.
She is a respected arbitration and dispute resolution expert and belongs to several prestigious professional bodies, including the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), African Arbitration Association, ArbitralWomen, International Bar Association (IBA), Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA). She also serves on the Board of the Lagos Court of Arbitration.
Within the NBA, Badejo-Okusanya has held several strategic leadership positions, including Assistant Secretary of the NBA Lagos Branch, member of the Future of the Legal Profession Committee, Conference Investigation Committee, and the NBA Lagos Branch Building Committee.
She also served as Alternate Chair of the 2023 NBA Annual General Conference Planning Committee before chairing the committee for the 2024 conference.
In 2022, she was co-opted into the NBA National Executive Council and, in August 2024, received the NBA Presidential Medal of Service in recognition of her contributions to the association.
A founding partner of Africa Law Practice NG & Company since 2017, Badejo-Okusanya currently co-heads the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. The firm is regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading commercial law firms, with affiliations across Africa.
Her emergence has raised expectations that her administration will prioritise lawyers’ welfare, institutional reforms and a more inclusive Bar, in line with her campaign promise to build “a bolder Bar that works for everyone” where lawyers can earn better, live better and practise better.
The Commander of Nigerian Naval Shipyard Pathfinder, Commodore Mutalib Ibikunle Raji, has described the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as a critical pillar of national unity and sustainable development, while reaffirming the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to deepening its long-standing partnership with the scheme in Rivers State.
Raji made the remarks when he received the NYSC Rivers State Coordinator, Moses Oleghe, on a courtesy visit to his office at the Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt.
The naval chief praised the 56-year-old NYSC scheme for its strategic role in nation-building, saying it has remained a “bedrock of national unity and sustainable development” since its establishment.
He also commended the cordial relationship between the NYSC and the Nigerian Naval Shipyard, describing the synergy between both institutions as “very healthy and mutually beneficial.”
According to him, the partnership has continued to yield positive results, particularly in service delivery by corps members posted to the Shipyard.
Raji assured the NYSC management in the state of his readiness to support the successful implementation of the scheme’s programmes and activities, noting that closer collaboration between the two institutions would further strengthen their bond.
“My administration remains available and committed to supporting the NYSC in the successful implementation of its programmes and activities in the state”, he said.
He appreciated the quality of service rendered by corps members serving at the Shipyard and pledged that their welfare would remain a top priority under his leadership.
“We will continue to prioritise the welfare of corps members in order to encourage and motivate them for optimum performance”, he Commander added.
Earlier, Oleghe said the visit was aimed at formally interfacing with the Commander, familiarising with him and welcoming him to Rivers State following his recent appointment.
He noted that the relationship between the NYSC and the Nigerian Naval Shipyard had remained strong over the years and called for its sustenance.
The State Coordinator thanked the Commander for his assurances of support and stressed the importance of strategic stakeholders such as the Nigerian Navy in ensuring the security and welfare of corps members.
Oleghe added that the support of the Navy would provide corps members with the enabling environment required to serve the nation effectively and without hindrance.
The visit, both officials agreed, underscored the shared commitment of the NYSC and the Nigerian Navy to national integration, youth development and the continued strengthening of institutional collaboration in Rivers State.
The Opobo Council of Alapu (Chiefs) has announced that Opobo Kingdom will officially crown His Majesty, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja, Jeki VI, as the Amanyanabo and Treaty King of Opobo Kingdom on September 26, 2026, marking the beginning of a new era in the historic riverine kingdom.
The coronation, which forms the highlight of a week-long programme of activities scheduled to hold from September 18 to 27, 2026, is expected to attract traditional rulers, government officials, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic community, sons and daughters of Opobo Kingdom, and guests from across Nigeria and beyond.
In a statement issued by the Chief of Protocol and Public Relations of the Opobo Council of Alapu, Alabo Godwin Omoni Nengia Bupo, Abayebupo Duke Norfolk III, the Council described the event as a defining moment in the history of the kingdom.
Founded in 1870 by the legendary merchant prince, King Jaja of Opobo, and his compatriots, Opobo Kingdom has remained one of the Niger Delta’s most celebrated traditional institutions, renowned for its rich cultural heritage, maritime trading history, diplomatic influence and resilience.
According to the Council, the ascension of King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja, Jeki VI, as the sixth monarch in the Jeki lineage signals the dawn of a new chapter that will build on the kingdom’s enduring legacy while promoting unity, cultural preservation and sustainable socio-economic development.
The statement noted that the coronation would be “more than the crowning of a king,” describing it as a celebration of the kingdom’s resilience, identity, ancestry and enduring traditions.
“This historic coronation is not merely the crowning of a king, but a celebration of our resilience, our identity, our ancestry and our enduring heritage”, the statement said.
The Council added that a comprehensive programme of cultural, spiritual and ceremonial activities have been lined up across the kingdom to commemorate the historic occasion, culminating in the official coronation on September 26.
It called on friends of Opobo Kingdom, cultural enthusiasts and well-wishers from around the world to join in celebrating what it described as a landmark event in the history of one of Nigeria’s oldest and most respected traditional kingdoms.
By: Theresa Frederick & Charity Amiso
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