Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has pledged to collaborate with the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in its crusade against counterfeit drugs and substandard products.
Governor Otti gave the assurance at Government House, Umuahia when he received the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and her team during their official visit to the state.
The Governor who emphasized the crucial role the NAFDAC plays in protecting citizens, commended the Agency’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health and consumer rights against counterfeit and adulterated products.
He however expressed regret over the loss of lives due to fake drugs and substandard products and vowed that his administration would not relent in it’s efforts to eradicate harmful products.
The Governor recounted an instance where NAFDAC’s swift action in collaboration with the Abia state government led to the shutdown of a haven for counterfeit products in Aba, and pointed out that the state is
committed to ensuring public health and safety.
“Alot of people die because they consume fake products, fake medications, fake food, so we will not stop until we completely eradicate them”, Gov Otti assured.
He outlined proactive measures implemented by the state, including the establishment of a unified task force to combat negative trends and address various offenses.
Governor Otti emphasized the state government’s commitment to harnessing the potential of Abia youths for constructive purposes and underscored the importance of transitioning from fake to authentic products as well as promoting local branding initiatives.
“Fake is fake and the original is original. It just takes a little effort to migrate from fake to original so while we are fighting those who are faking products, we’ve also tried to reorientate our people that if you have the capacity to do the fake one, why don’t you migrate and do the original one.
“Our fight is to upgrade the positive energy and ensure that the negative energy is dwindled completely. If we can’t eradicate it, who else would do it than government.So we’ve taken it as our responsibility to support you in this fight and support ourselves also”, Gov Otti stated.
Earlier in her remarks, Prof. Adeyeye reiterated NAFDAC’s mandate to regulate and control the production, importation, exportation, advertisement, sale, and use of various regulated products, including drugs, food, chemicals, cosmetics, and packaged water, to ensure the safety of consumers.
The NAFDAC DG, emphasized the importance of engaging with Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and underscored the need for coordinated wholesale centers to monitor the distribution of drugs and related products, thereby preventing the proliferation of counterfeit goods and safeguarding public health.
