Category: Features

By Biola Lawal

Lagos: Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for increased funding for research and development of herbal medicines to support universal health coverage in the country.

Adeyeye made the call at the Inaugural Symposium and Launching of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Drug Research, Herbal Medicine Development and Regulatory Science (ACEDHARS), University of Lagos.

The theme of the event is Drug Development from African Medicinal Plants: Opportunities, Challenges and Regulatory Approach.

The DG, who delivered the keynote speech at the event. said that investment in herbal medicine research and development would positively impact the economy of the pharmaceutical traditional medicine industry.

She said: Herbal medicines are very important to healthcare delivery and can contribute significantly to universal health coverage in our country.

Despite the widespread use, traditional medicines have not yet been integrated into the national healthcare system of many developing countries including Nigeria.

The increasing use of herbal medicine despite general lack of research on some of this product is a call for concern.

Investment in herbal medicine research and development is needed from all stakeholders including the government , so we can benefit from whatever God has given to us freely.

According to her, ACEDHARS is very important to Nigeria because of the focus which is the development of herbal medicine for the use of the people.

This centre will function to ensure that adequate research is conducted and clinical trials are done on herbal products before usage.

As it were, some herbal medicine get to the market without adequate research and clinical trials to confirm their safety and efficacy.

Adeyeye advised herbal practitioners to take advantage of the centre to increase their knowledge in the practice.

Herbal practitioners must have continued education, even if they have before and for those that dont have, this centre will be of immense benefit to them expand their horizon.

They can take short courses and if they are not well schooled, they can have somebody in their organisation that can attend, she said.

Speaking earlier, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, represented by Prof. Obinna Chukwu, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, said that there was need to tap into the indigenous knowledge of herbal practitioners.

Ogundipe described the symposium as timely in examining the challenges, opportunities as well as the regulatory approach for drug development for Africa medicinal plants.

We must appreciate the fact that the herbal medicine we have are quite efficacious and there is the need for us to tap into the indigenous knowledge.

Some herbal medicine are quite useful in addressing a number of ailments but the problem is that some of these medicine had been seen as a cure for all ailments which the Yoruba call gbogbo nise.

The issue of quality control, proper identification of medicinal plants, standardisation of active ingredients and chemical compound in herbal medicine will be addressed.

We are also looking forward to a period where modern technology will be applied in herbal medicine research, he said.

Speaking also, Omobolanle Ade-Ademilua, Director/Centre Leader, said ACEDHARS, which is a World Bank approved centre of excellence, is established to train skilled manpower.

Ade-Ademilua said the training includes quality assurance, standardisation of dosages, reproducibility of herbal preparations and safety monitoring of drugs in West and Central African region. / Flowerbudnews

By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised the University of Ilorin (Unilorin) to encourage more entrepreneurship enterprises to boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Mr Kenneth Azikiwe, the Coordinator of NAFDAC in Kwara, gave the advice on Monday while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the Technical Entrepreneur Centre (TEC) Get together at the institution on Monday.

He congratulated the management of the university over the licensing of the University’s Hand Sanitiser by the agency.

He said: “When the University approached me and told me that they have a product that they want to register, I thought it was one of those academic talks but as they came consistently, I could see the passion and I called to ask if they really meant it and they said yes. It was a very wonderful thing,” he said.

Azikiwe however explained that the licence, which is for a period of five years registration, would include an annual assessment to make sure that the quality was maintained, consistently manufactured and continuously following the laid-down instrument and use of personnel.

He encouraged the centre to bring more products, adding that the “agency will support them by the grace of God”.

According to him, the university is getting involved in such entrepreneurial skills for the first time.

The coordinator described Unilorin TEC’s involvement in students’ entrepreneurship training as what the country needs, stressing that the students’ gain will assist them to be self-reliant.

“This is my first time of seeing such entrepreneurial teaching, even though the centre tried to explain what they are doing. Honestly, I did not expect it to come out like this.

“I personally decided to come and see how I can support the University in what they are doing and I can see that it is innovative.

“That is what the country needs now because when the students have entrepreneurial skills, it boosts their confidence,” he said.

Earlier, Prof. Peter Adeoye, the Director of TEC, said that a meeting was conducted by the Board of TEC in conjunction with the students to put in all their efforts to win at least one of the prizes in the agricultural sector, creative industry, information and communication sector, and science and technology.

Adeoye said that the event was to showcase what students have been able to do while they undertook the GSE course so as to be able to assess where they are, know what was needed to be done and do greater exploits.

The director said that it was also an opportunity to relax and have a memorable evening.

In her remarks, the Deputy Director of TEC, Dr Sikirah Ahmed, appreciated all invited guests, the students, especially the Performing Art students and all spectators.

While analysing the challenges facing the centre, Ahmed urged the management to make available more facilities.

She said that the course would help graduates of the university to be self-employed, and generally be able to stand on their own after graduation.

Highlights of the event included drama presentations by the 300 level students of the Performing Arts Department, documentary displays of the TEC products, film shows and stand-up comedy.

NAN

By Stella Kabruk

NAFDAC said on Monday that it seized various brands of unregistered aphrodisiacs in Kaduna.

An aphrodisiac is substance or drug that causes sexual arousal, brings on desire, or increases sexual pleasure or performance.

NAFDAC Coordinator in Kaduna State, Mr Nasiru Mato, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the seizures resulted from raids it conducted to rid the state of unregulated products.

He listed products seized to include: Power Coffee, Honeymoon, Viga 150000, Zahidi Coffee and Big Boss.

“NAFDAC has sensitised consumers several times on the inherent dangers of arbitrary use of such products due to their possible effect on health.

“They can damage vital body organs. The drugs overwork the heart which could result to hypertension and sudden death.

“The perceived `benefits’ are far less than the risks attendant on the consumption of these substances,’’ he said.

Mato advised that sex stimulating drugs be used only on doctors’ prescription.

NAN

By Stella Kabruk

Kaduna: NAFDAC said on Monday that it seized various brands of unregistered aphrodisiacs in Kaduna.

An aphrodisiac is substance or drug that causes sexual arousal, brings on desire, or increases sexual pleasure or performance.

NAFDAC Coordinator in Kaduna State, Mr Nasiru Mato, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the seizures resulted from raids it conducted to rid the state of unregulated products.

He listed products seized to include: Power Coffee, Honeymoon, Viga 150000, Zahidi Coffee and Big Boss.

“NAFDAC has sensitised consumers several times on the inherent dangers of arbitrary use of such products due to their possible effect on health.

“They can damage vital body organs. The drugs overwork the heart which could result to hypertension and sudden death.

“The perceived `benefits’ are far less than the risks attendant on the consumption of these substances,’’ he said.

Mato advised that sex stimulating drugs be used only on doctors’ prescription. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)/ Flowerbudnews

 

By Biola Lawal

Lagos: National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC has commissioned 73 brand new HILUX utility vehicles, saloon cars and staff buses to enhance operational efficiency.

The Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye said the vehicles were to aid NAFDAC renewed efforts to rid the nation of falsified and counterfeit medicines, unwholesome food and cosmetic products, etc

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye said provision of the vehicles would also put a permanent end to the hitherto practice whereby clients would bring their vehicles to ferry agency staff to site for inspection.

According to her, the inspection exercise is already compromised ab initio when staff of a regulatory body would have to depend on their clients to transport them to the factory to be inspected.

Prof. Adeyeye, in a statement by the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, in Lagos, on Sunday, explained that 20 Toyota Camry 2021 brand for some directors were commissioned in Abuja, while ten 60- Seater Coaster and Hummer buses were commissioned at the Oshodi office complex of the Agency.

Forty-three (43) Hilux vans were commissioned at the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Apapa to enhance the enforcement & inspection and the regulatory activities of the Agency.

Our staff deserve the best. And the welfare of our staff is our priority, she said, adding that the four (4) Coaster buses and the six (6) Toyota Hiace buses commissioned in Oshodi would serve as staff buses to make life more comfortable for the workers in their day-to-day commuting to and from the office.

Prof Adeyeye, who recalled that she met a total debt of N3.2 billion when she resumed as DG about four years ago, said the debt was paid back barely a year after she took over.

She said she took some excruciating cost-saving measures which earned her a lot of funny appellations by the staff such as we can save N1m from this N5m request to buy a vehicle amongst others.

The money we saved is the money we use for what we need and not what we want, she said, adding that when we spend money for wants the nation suffers the consequences. Not just the nation now our staff will suffer the consequences.

Thats why we started saving money despite the fact that I met N3.2 billion debt. And within one year we paid N3.01billion.

Prof Adeyeye explained that the Agency is going through its World Health Organization WHO audit now, and its being judged on seven regulatory functions or a group of activities.

There is one big area called regulatory inspection. This includes visiting companies to see whether they are compliant with their Good Manufacturing Practices, she said, stressing that Its vehicles that will take our staff there.

According to her, regulatory inspection includes good distribution practice, meaning all the distributors that handle NAFDAC regulated products have to be visited to see where those products are being kept whether they are going to break down before they get to the retailer.

She recalled how the Agency was able to burst a syndicate that brought 30 containers of Tramadol to the country about three years ago through a tip off by the Presidency.

She said the Ports Inspection officers of the Agency kept vigil for days at the ports before the consignments worth over N2 trillion were apprehended and contents destroyed.

The containers were labelled for bonded terminals. We wouldnt have been able to do it. It is vehicles that officers of Inspection Directorate used to keep vigil at these ports

The DG further explained that the officials of the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate would make use of the utility vehicles to pursue peddlers of contraband, counterfeited products across the nooks and crannies of the country.

It is not a luxury for us. This is not the end of it. Each state should have at least three Hilux vehicles.

Prof Adeyeye also noted that the new vehicles would be useful for the officials of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate saddled with the responsibility of inspecting food, water and related products to ascertain their wholesomeness for human consumption with clients scattered all over the country.

About 70 percent of our activities are field work. It is vehicles that they need. Before I came, companies were sending vehicles to come and inspect them. Who doesnt know that that is the end of that inspection in terms of integrity?, she asked rhetorically.

Top management hierarchy of the Agency took turn to eulogize the DG for taking the bull by the horn to tackle the perennial problem of lack of utility vehicles to do the regulatory job.

“I have spent over two decades in NAFDAC, and Ive never seen a thing like this before, said the highly elated Mr Emmanuel Nwogu who represented the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mr Joseph Aina.

He said with the provision of four Coaster buses and six Toyota Hiace buses for the staff, no member of the staff has any reason to report late to work without appropriate sanctions.

We have been buying vehicles. But Ive never LP seen this kind of thing in my over two decades in NAFDAC where 43 Hilux, 20 Camry Cars and ten buses would be bought in a day, he said.

Both the directors of Port Inspection and Investigation and Enforcement Directorates, Prof Samson Adebayo and Barrister Kingsley Ejiofor described Prof Adeyeye as a blessing not only to NAFDAC but Nigeria as a whole.

They both disclosed that she has brought an uncommon transformation to the Agency which they said was nosediving at the time she joined NAFDAC. (Flowerbudnews)

By Aderogba George