The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sounded the alarm over the grave national security risk posed by drug hawkers, labeling them as key suppliers and distributors of narcotics to criminal networks including armed bandits, insurgents, kidnappers, and armed robbers.
Prof. Moji Christianah Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, made this startling revelation during a media sensitization workshop held in Bauchi, focusing on the dangers of drug hawking and the unsafe practice of ripening fruits with Calcium Carbide.
The event, organized by NAFDAC’s North-East Zone, aimed to raise awareness about the menace of drug hawking and its detrimental impact on public health.
Adeyeye emphasized that this illicit trade represents a severe threat to national security. She pointed out that the majority of drugs sold through this illicit network fail to meet the necessary quality, safety, and efficacy standards set for regulated medicines.
The Director-General’s address underscored NAFDAC’s unwavering commitment to eliminating this illicit trade. She sternly warned that NAFDAC would take decisive action against drug hawkers, including prosecution and imprisonment.
Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC’s Enforcement Officers were currently executing a synchronized nationwide operation to combat the issue.
Adeyeye’s representative, Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research at NAFDAC, conveyed that concerned citizens had urged the agency to take stringent regulatory measures to counter the dangerous proliferation of drug hawkers and vendors using harmful substances such as Calcium Carbide to ripen fruits.
The Director-General highlighted the gravity of two hazardous practices: the circulation of counterfeit drugs and the use of chemicals to artificially ripen fruits.
She lamented that these practices, driven by unscrupulous individuals, pose lethal threats to unsuspecting citizens.
NAFDAC’s clarion call seeks the collaboration and support of law enforcement agencies, journalists, and all well-meaning Nigerians to join forces in eliminating this harmful and disgraceful phenomenon from the nation.