TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title
Page i
Certification
ii
Dedication
iii
Acknowledgment
iv
Abstract v
Table
of Contents vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the Study 1
1.2
Statement of Problem 7
1.3
Objectives of the Study 8
1.4
Scope of the Study 8
1.5
Limitations of the Study 9
1.6
Research Methodology 9
1.7
Literature Review 9
Notes and References 12
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.0
State of Regulatory Activities in
Nigeria 13
2.1
Implications of Fake and Substandard
Regulated Products. 20
2.2
Impact of Fake Drugs on the
Economy 21
Notes and References 22
CHAPTER THREE
3.0
Challenges and Problems Facing
NAFDAC 23
3.1
Drug Faking/ Counterfeiting 24
3.2
Factors that Encourage Drug
Counterfeiting 26
3.3
Implications of Drug Faking /
Counterfeiting 32
Notes and References 34
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0
Achievements and Gains of NAFDAC
Under Dora Akunyili 35
4.1
NAFDAC's Vision, Mission, Goal and
Strategies 39
Notes and References 42
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.1
Conclusion 43
5.2
Recommendations 44
Bibliography 46
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
The
immense contribution of women in the development of the country especially in
areas traditionally considered to be the forte of me is seen as a new and
welcome development.
Infact
women are becoming more and more involved in key positions of government and
this has been regarded by the progressives as a sign of putting issue of gender
and equality of sexes to rest, at least for now.
Many
people are of the opinion that the greater involvement of women in areas
hitherto reserved for men, the better, the society will be. However, the
recognition and significance of the place and roles of women in the
contemporary society is a current social preoccupation. The rise into limelight
of a vocal and articulate class of women of distinction, purpose and idea is itself
indicative of the coming of an age, when the lot of females will improve, such
that equality of opportunities between both sexes will be an established
reality. Especially, when one realises the tremendous contributions being made
by women in the developed economies, with particular reference to the United States
of America, one cannot but be hopeful
that Nigerian women, given the right
atmosphere of freedom and equal opportunity can make even more useful contributions
to development process and nation building.
Suffice
it to say that, if not for the resolute thoroughness, mettle and relentless
crusade of Prof. (Mrs) Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR), Director General, National
Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) (2001-2008), the era
of fake, adulterated, unwholesome and expired food, drugs, cosmetics,
chemicals/detergents, medical devices, packaged water including alcoholic and
non--alcoholic drinks and other regulated products, would have continued
unabated in the country.
Dora
was born in 1954, the fourth child of Chief and Mrs Paul Young Edemobi, and
from her infancy was the apple of her father's eye. He was a businessman and
general contractor, well known and respected; from early on he realised that
his daughter, Dora, was born to make an impact on society. This she started to
do in primary school where, academically bright right from the start, she
outshone all others. The scope of this mandate put the responsibility of safe
guarding public health of the Agency and this torches on the
life of every Nigerian. Before her assumption of office in 2001, the
agency had existed for about seven years.
During
this period it was difficult to point at any impact it made in stamping its
authority in the areas of its mandate. It existed in name and as one of those
public organisations.
It
is instructive to note that as at the year 2000, Nigeria was rated as one of
the countries with the highest incidence of fake and counterfeit drugs, and
other unwholesome regulated products. Consequently, drugs made in Nigeria were
officially unaccepted in other West African countries with strong regulations
like Ghana, Sierra Leone etc.
Equally,
some multinational drug manufacturing companies had divested and left Nigeria
out of frustration. The local drug and food manufacturers were also closing shop
while the country became a dumping ground for all manners of products. Madly,
when Dora Akunyili came on board NAFDAC in 2001, she saw the appalling state of
regulation as a national emergency that demanded immediate intervention. She
was then put under pressure.
Until
she assumed leadership of the agency on April 12, 2001, there was little to
write home about the state of regulatory activities in Nigeria. Although NAFDAC
had been established way back in 1993 with the backing of Decree 15 of the same
year (as amended) to control and regulate the manufacture, importation,
exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of every imaginable
regulated consumer product in the country, very little was known about the agency
and its activities until Akunyili came into the picture.
Before
her debut, the nation wore the unenviable tag of being one of the countries
with the highest incidence of fake and counterfeit drugs on earth. In the fade
of a failed regulatory process of more than two decades, Nigeria had become the
world's largest dump for substandard drugs. Illegal drug markets which sprang
up all over the place rapidly grew into formidable strongholds, in the trade of
drug distribution. There was chaos in the distribution channels, where potent
and often lethal drugs were marketed like any other commodity of trade.
Suffice
it to say that charlatans who knew next to nothing about regulated products had
a field day and controlled vast distribution networks for products of
questionable origin, safety and efficacy. As bad as all these appeared, it was
just a tip of the iceberg as no one knew for certain how bad the situation
really was.
Undaunted,
this veritable amazon who qualifies as a woman of raw courage and unshakeable
integrity, set a goal for herself and the new management of NAFDAC
Their
onerous task was to ensure that fake drugs and other substandard regulated
products are either totally eradicated or brought to the barest minimum in
Nigeria within the next few years.
With
a vision statement "To safeguard public health" while its mission is.
To safeguard public health by ensuring that only the right quality product are
manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, distributed, sold and used, there
is no doubting the fact that the reinvigorated NAFDAC is built on a clear
vision, set goals and tested strategies.
Towards
realizing this ultimate objective, Akunyili's approach has been nothing short
of outstanding. With pin point accuracy and a no-nonsense but a result oriented
attitude, her successes in the enforcement of regulation laws remain
unprecedented in the history of the nation. The level of her' impact is such
that the parlance in the drug industry is that "the fear of Akunyili is
the beginning of wisdom".
Apart
from successfully dealing a mortal blow to the antics of fake drug merchants,
Akunyili was largely instrumental in the transformation of NAFDAC's former
dowdy reputation as an obscure government establishment to that of a respected
modern day professional scientific body with international recognition.
Right
from her days at the Queen of Rosary Secondary school, in Nsukka, Anambra
state, Akunyili has been an embodiment of excellence, distinguishing herself
with a Grade 1 distinction in the WASC of 1973. Being a fully qualified
consultant pharmacologist, and holder of a Doctor of Philosophy degree
(1985)from University of Nigeria Nsukka including Post Doctorate Fellowships of the University of London and
the West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacy, her exploits are widely
acknowledged locally and internationally. She has presented over 600 papers
delivered in various local and international conferences published four (4)
books and written articles published in 37 local and international journals.
Prof.
Akunyili has received over six hundred (600) Awards and Recognitions locally
and internationally, notably among which are: OFR (2002), ICON of Hope (2002),
Person of the year 2005 Award by Silverbird Communication, (2006) Time Magazine
Award, New York (2005) Integrity Award in South Korea (2003) and also Award by
British House of Commons (2005) etc.
But
it was in the driving seat of the new NAFDAC, spearheading an aggressive war
against fake drugs, that the real essence of this towering achiever really came
to the fore . Thanks to her, an appreciable degree of sanity has gradually come
into the health industry.
Having
analyzed past intervention to eradicate the menace of fake drugs in Nigeria she
quickly arrived at the conclusion, that they were all adhoc measures with
unsustainable impact, if any. To achieve this, there were a clear vision, set
goals and strategies. Since then, the vision has been to safeguard public
health. The mission to safeguard public health by ensuring that only the right quality
products are manufactured,, imported, exported, advertised, distributed, sold
and used in Nigeria" and the goal "To eradicate fake drugs and other
substandard regulated products". Akunyili deemed it more effective embark
on massive enlightenment campaign, dialogue, education and persuasion in
pursuit of her regulatory activities.
Enlightenment
was a strategy she utilized superbly credibly well and had endeared her to the
delight of many Nigerian.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Today
NAFDAC's crusade against fake drugs is at household level. Everyone from all
walks of life is celebrating the voluntary change of heart, which is none
result oriented and complimentary to the confrontation and prosecution
approach-utilized by the Agency in the past, Workshops, seminars and meeting;
for producers of "pure water", patent medicine dealers, Cosmetics
Manufacturers and Ethics Association of Nigeria and Herbal Medicine
practitioners amongst other„ are now regular features. Enlightenment campaigns
in the form of bi-monthly publications of identified list of genuine and fake
products, jingles in radios and TV and international consultations with
Directors General of Food and Drug Agencies of other countries were commonplace.
NAFDAC
also held regular consultative meetings with state commissioner of health, the
Inspector General of Police, the Comptroller General of Customs, ambassadors of
some countries identified with fake drug importation amongst other concerned
groups. This , strategy, she argued, was necessary because it addresses the
fundamental issue of behavioural change.
It
is gratifying to note that the strategy yielded tremendous results and in its
wake, NAFDAC had shut down illegal drug outlets, prosecuted fake drugs dealers
and seized and destroyed large caches of fake drugs across the nation.
Interestingly, most of the seized drugs are voluntarily handed over by
repentant traders, and a good quantity recovered on tip off by traders.
Undoubtedly,
Prof. Akunyili remains a national pride, an icon and beacon of Hope to our
nation. Her unwavering and dogged crusade in her area of assignment; has won
her national and international awards and honour. She remains a shinning light
before the international community and a rare breed of the vanishing tribe of
patriotic, honest, hard working and transparent Nigerians.
1.3 OBJECTIVE
OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of this study is to examine the activities of the National Agency for
Food Drugs and Administrative Control under the stirring leadership of
Professor Dora Akunyili. Similarly, the study seeks to examine the state of
regulatory activities in Nigeria, the challenges and achievements of the agency
in curbing the incidences of substandard products in the country.
1.4 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The
scope of this study covers between 1999-2007. This period however is carefully
chose because it marked the height of an era of adulterated, fake and expired
products in Nigeria, a practice which had continued for so long a time
unabated. . Similarly, the period also coincided with a time when the agency
was brought out of its obscurity to functional and glorious lime light.
1.5 LIMITATION
OF STUDY
This
work is limited by the inaccessibility to get officials of the agency to answer
questions pertinent to this exercise. Also the lack of fund, absence of written
records as well as time constraint are part of the limitations to the study.
1.6 RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
In
the course of the research, materials were be collected from both primary and
secondary sources. The primary source relied more on oral interviews conducted
to get the opinion of renowned personalities on the issue.
Similarly too, secondary source of information was equally be
adopted. in
the
study. These include information and data generated from library research,
published and unpublished materials, official gazettes, government
publications, academic journals, newspapers, and periodical among others.
1.7 LITERATURE
REVIEW
According
to Akande J. Oyekanmi, The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC), a creation of the military government hard been a docile, ineffective
and powerless before the appointment of Professor (Mrs) Dora Akunyili as the
Director General in 2001. She argued further that the government agency was a
toothless bulldog that could only bark but could not bite. Although, the decree
establishing it empowered it to seize and destroy fake and adulterated drugs,
the high level corruption that pervaded the agency staff gave importers of
deadly food and drugs the audacity to carry on with their nefarious activities.
However she posited that the victims of such activities were invariably women
and children and that one of such victims, was Professor Akunyili sisters who
died as a result of counterfeit drug."
Consequently,
this first female Director General of NAFDAC, Professor (Mrs) Dora Akunyili had
fought tooth and nail to ensure that the Nigerian society was free of counterfeit
drugs and those importers of fake drugs face the full wrath of the law.
Similarly,
in the words of Ighodalo, he opined that one should not be under the illusion
that NAFDAC has had an easy battle with fake drug dealers. At first, these
peddlers of death resorted to bribery. Thinking that it was business as usual,
they offered in April 2001, the NAFDAC boss, fifty million naira bribe which
she rejected. Stunned by this unparalled honesty and integrity, Ighodalo
stressed that the peddlers sent assassin to her at her Abuja residence which
she narrowly escaped. Ten years after the, incidence, the police is yet to
bring the culprits to book.
Thus,
since 2002, importers of fake drugs had been sending death messages to her and
her family members, but she remained undaunted. Needless to say that the
indefatigable woman of NAFDAC remained unyielding as she introduced innovation
and combative measures to clamp down on fake drug importers. However, the enlightenment
Campaigns have yielded the desired results as counterfeit drugs are
disappearing fast from the Nigerian market, thanks to the doggedness of Professor
(Mrs) Dora Akunyili.
Also
Okojo stressed the fact that before the ascendancy of Akunyili as the Director
General of the agency, it was common knowledge that Nigerian market was
forfeited with dangerous drugs which caused complications in medical circles.
There are companies in Asia and Eastern Europe that were mass producing
sub-standard drugs and foods and were marketing them in Nigeria. For such drugs,
labels are no indication of actual content. It is also true that some Nigerian
merchants arranged with such companies to maximize profit. It is worthy of note
that, following the death of some members of a family after a meal of pastry
food in 2005, the production of such pastry food was put on hold until NAFDAC
was satisfied that the necessary amend and control had been effected. Her
heroic deeds have won her several honours, awards and accolades. It is believed
in many quarters that she deserves the highest honour the country can bestow on
her.
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