By Biola Lawal
(Flowerbudnews): The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intensified efforts for closer operational relationship with NDLEA to enhance the task of safeguarding public health.
NAFDAC Zonal Director, North West Zone, Mrs Josephine Dayilim made the practical move when she recently visited Commander, NDLEA, Kaduna State Command, C.N Samaila Dan Mallam and his management team.
Dayilim said that the visit was to explore areas of possible collaboration and synergy with NDLEA as sister Agency with NAFDAC working towards safeguarding the health of the nation and ensuring rational use of drugs.
She explained the mandate of NAFDAC and the giant strides the Agency was achieving under the able and dynamic leadership of its Director General, Prof. Christianah Mojisola Adeyeye.
Dayilim stressed that ”NAFDAC is the statutory Agency mandated to issue license for the Manufacturing, Importation, Distribution, Sale and Use of controlled drugs and Narcotic substances in the country, and that NAFDAC gives approval for these products to be used for medical and scientific purposes only.”
She disclosed that said Nigeria currently had six (6) Zonal Narcotic Stores under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health.
Dayilim also explained the actions that led to the ban of alcoholic beverages in sachets and bottles, below 200ml, disclosing that it which was a Ministerial directive based on an MOU signed between the Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers(AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association Of Nigeria( DIBAN) Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC ) in December, 2018.
In the MOU, the stakeholders agreed to phase out the production of alcohol in sachets and bottles less than 200ml by 31st January, 2024.
”These drinks are in containers a child can easily conceal and the alcoholic content is 30% and above, whereas beer is 4-8%,” she explained.
Dayilim said that ”Nigeria was also one of the 193 Member States of WHO that reached a consensus on a global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by adopted resolution WHA63.13 at the Sixty-third session of the World Health Assembly, which was held in Geneva in 2010.
”All these were aimed at protecting the youth by making alcohol not easily accessible and reachable to them.”
She noted that the ban was however suspended by the National Assembly, adding, ”but the Agency is not relenting in carrying out massive campaigns against alcohol abuse while awaiting further directive from the Minister of Health on the way forward.”
According to her, the negative medical effects of alcohol could include cardiovascular disease, liver cirrhosis, kidney disease, transmission of diseases like HIV/AIDS, foetal abnormalities and social and societal problems e.g poor performance of students in schools and possible drop out, violence and physical accidents etc.
”The problems mentioned above can be checkmated if the availability of alcohol in easily accessible pack-sizes are regulated,” Dayilim said.
”The problems among the younger people is very prevalent because they can easily access the products, comfortably carry them around in their pockets and school bags.
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”They call it ‘quick-action’ because they feel they are paying less for more effects in terms of alcohol content by volume of the product,” the NAFDAC Zonal Director stated.
She also disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health had banned the manufacture, importation and sales of cough syrups containing codeine after an investigation carried out by the BBC on its addiction epidemic.
”Therefore, the sales of such products, if found in any drugs sales or distribution outlets, constitute a violation which is sanctionable, ” she said .
Dayilim emphasised th ”serious need for collaboration between the Two Agencies especially in the area of intelligence gathering, in order to curb the menace of drug abuse in the State and country at large”.
During the interactive session, the Deputy Commander of NDLEA Kaduna State Command, expressed concerns over the rate of drug abuse amongst the youths in the state and also sought NAFDAC’s cooperation and collaboration for possible joint raids to address this menace holistically.
He said he was highly delighted to receive the Director and her team. (Flowerbudnews)
