The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has alerted Nigerians to the influx of fake Personal Protective Equipment circulating in the country, warning of the consequences as the nation battles against the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
Adeyeye this at the commencement of the first phase of the agency’s sensitisation against fake drugs and consumables in Ilorin, Kwara State.
She said NAFDAC was ready to prosecute the culprits and equally mop up some of the pirated PPEs already in circulation.
The NAFDAC DG in a speech delivered on her behalf by the NAFDAC North Central Zonal Director, Mrs Bolaji Abayomi, said, “The advent of COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the problem with the challenge posed by substandard and falsified Personal Protective Equipment.
“The campaign will, therefore, contribute significantly to Federal Government’s concerted efforts to inform, sensitise, educate and alert the public about inherent dangers of intake and use of those spurious regulated products.”
The NAFDAC boss noted that public awareness campaign remained one of the veritable regulatory mechanisms put in place by the agency to promote and protect the health of Nigerians.
She said, “A well informed, sensitised and educated citizenry is the bedrock of effective regulation. This is why today’s event is another major milestone in our bid to protect Nigerians against the deleterious effects of unwholesome food, falsified medical products, Harmful Cosmetics, Poor Water and other Substandard regulated products.
“The key objective of this sensitisation is to intensify and expand the scope of our informal and formal behaviour change communication strategies in order to reach the vulnerable communities, especially at the grassroots. Dissemination of Food and Drug safety information is an important aspect of our regulatory work.”
Adeyeye added that it remained a common knowledge that Nigeria as a nation had a preponderant share of the global problem of falsified medical products and unwholesome food.
According to her, the campaign is set to address 12 major public health challenges which include the dangers of buying medicines from hawkers, advising patients to buy medicines from only licensed pharmacies and medicine stores.
