NAFDAC Has No Control Over Traditionally Packaged Yam, Fufu, Moi Moi, Ogi — DG

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has clarified that traditionally packaged food products such as yam, fufu, moi moi and ogi are not under its regulatory control.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.

Adeyeye also raised concerns over the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption, warning that its abuse poses serious risks to public health and could contribute to wider social problems.

The NAFDAC boss, while speaking on the agency’s regulatory responsibilities and challenges confronting Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector, said the country had for years failed to operate in line with international standards.

“For many years, we were not using international standards. We allowed a lot of things that shouldn’t be allowed into the country to come in… In terms of substandard falsified medicines, we created them in this country.

“Decades ago, we had controlled patent medicine dealers, and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria is mandated to be the agency in control of that. That responsibility was taken from the council for many years, and by the time it was returned, the country was flooded with illiterates about handling medicine, which is part of why we have an open drugs market. The problems that have been there for decades cannot be changed overnight, but we are changing it,” she disclosed.

Her comments come amid growing concerns over the proliferation of fake and substandard products in Nigerian markets, raising questions about regulatory enforcement and the measures being taken to protect consumers.

Adeyeye said the challenges confronting the country’s pharmaceutical sector were the result of problems that had persisted for decades, stressing that addressing them would require sustained efforts.

She noted that the proliferation of unqualified persons involved in the handling and sale of medicines had contributed to the challenges facing the country’s drug distribution system.