The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening inter-agency collaboration in the fight against counterfeit, substandard and unwholesome regulated products in Nigeria.
The commitment was reiterated when the Chief Commissioner of the PCC, Hon. Bashir Abubakar, led a delegation of the Commission on a courtesy visit to the NAFDAC Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
Receiving the delegation, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, congratulated Abubakar on his previous recognition with the NAFDAC Integrity Award in 2018.
She recalled that the award followed his contribution of critical intelligence that facilitated the interception of 41 containers of tramadol at a Nigerian port.
Adeyeye said the incident underscored the importance of intelligence sharing and collaboration among government agencies in protecting public health and strengthening regulatory enforcement.
The NAFDAC DG highlighted the agency’s partnerships with institutions including the Nigeria Customs Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the Nigeria Police Force.
According to her, the partnerships have been instrumental in combating the importation, distribution and circulation of counterfeit medicines, unwholesome food products and other substandard regulated products.
She reiterated NAFDAC’s commitment to ensuring that regulated products circulating in the country are safe, wholesome, efficacious, consistent in quality and compliant with established regulatory standards.
Adeyeye stressed that regulatory compliance was central to NAFDAC’s mandate because of the direct impact of regulated products on the lives and wellbeing of Nigerians.
“NAFDAC is a complex agency that deals with the public 24/7. There is hardly anybody who does not consume one or more NAFDAC-regulated products every day,” she said.
She added that non-compliance with regulatory standards could have serious consequences, stressing that NAFDAC’s responsibilities were essentially about protecting lives.
“If there is no compliance in NAFDAC, a child may die, a pregnant woman may die, and a man or a woman living with hypertension may die. Our job in NAFDAC is about life and death. That is why we have international guidelines and standards,” she said.
On the agency’s progress under the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Benchmarking framework, Adeyeye recalled that NAFDAC had addressed significant regulatory gaps before attaining Maturity Level 3.
“In 2018, NAFDAC had 200 indicators and 800 recommendations to close or satisfy before we could get to Maturity Level 3 during the WHO benchmarking. We closed the gaps, and we were given Maturity Level 3. Today, we are working towards Maturity Level 4,” she said.
She explained that attaining higher levels of regulatory maturity would further enhance the international acceptability of products manufactured and approved by NAFDAC.
The DG also said effective regulation was important not only for public health but also for economic development, as it supports local pharmaceutical and manufacturing capacity, facilitates international trade and creates employment opportunities.
“NAFDAC is focused. We are not there yet, but we are compliant. The Agency is not only doing regulation to safeguard public health; we are also doing regulation for the survival of our country,” Adeyeye said.
Earlier, the PCC Chief Commissioner said the delegation visited NAFDAC primarily to appreciate the agency and commend its efforts in tackling counterfeit medicines and unwholesome products.
“We came here primarily to commend you and commend your efforts and passion in tackling the menace of fake drugs and unwholesome products in Nigeria,” Abubakar said.
He explained that the PCC, as Nigeria’s Ombudsman, receives complaints from members of the public and stakeholders across different sectors, both within and outside the country.
According to him, complaints within the Commission’s mandate are handled appropriately, while those outside its jurisdiction are referred to relevant authorities, with follow-up actions taken to obtain feedback.
Abubakar also commended Adeyeye for her public enlightenment and media engagement initiatives, describing sustained communication as essential to improving citizens’ understanding of NAFDAC’s regulatory responsibilities.
He urged NAFDAC to continue strengthening a regulatory system that would encourage compliance and deter violations.
“By building a system, those who follow due process and have integrity will respect you, while people on the other side will fear you,” he said.
The Chief Commissioner further called for the expansion of NAFDAC’s inter-agency collaboration to include the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
He said stronger cooperation among the institutions would improve intelligence gathering, monitoring and enforcement across the supply chain, thereby supporting a more coordinated response to the circulation of counterfeit, substandard and unwholesome products.
The visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of NAFDAC and the PCC to strengthening institutional collaboration, promoting regulatory compliance and protecting the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.
