By Rasheed Shuaibu
The Northern Patriotic Front and the Coalition of Civil Society Groups have condemned what they described as an unwarranted and targeted media assault on the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye.
The groups stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, where they defended Adeyeye’s record at NAFDAC and urged Nigerians, particularly youths and media practitioners, not to allow themselves to be used by individuals seeking to undermine the agency’s enforcement activities.
The groups said Adeyeye was among public officials who had secured successful careers before taking up public office.
According to them, such individuals accepted public responsibilities because of their desire to contribute to national development.
“They have good and paying jobs. They were already made before taking up public office, and they took the job because they want to give back to society,” the groups said.
“They are doing it out of love for their fatherland.”
The groups listed former Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo; Executive Secretary of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Ishaq Oloyede; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate; and Adeyeye among public officials they said had sacrificed personal interests for national service.
The groups, however, expressed concern over what they described as recent “unsavoury developments” surrounding Adeyeye and NAFDAC.
“We have noticed, with dismay, the unwarranted, undeserved, unprovoked and targeted media assault on the person and office of Prof Mojisola Adeyeye,” they said.
They said they were aware of the risks associated with Adeyeye’s responsibilities, particularly NAFDAC’s enforcement activities against businesses dealing in falsified, adulterated and substandard products.
“We are fully aware of her vulnerability,” the groups said.
They described Adeyeye as “an Amazon” and a performer, arguing that individuals whose businesses had been affected by NAFDAC’s enforcement activities would not necessarily support the agency’s actions.
The groups alleged that NAFDAC routinely faced campaigns of calumny towards the end of the year from individuals whose illicit activities had been obstructed by the agency.
“When you fight corruption, corruption surely fights back in Nigeria,” they said.
Comparing Adeyeye with the late former NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Dora Akunyili, the groups said, “Prof. Adeyeye, like Prof. Dora Akunyuili, is a performer.”
They also cited recent activities and achievements of NAFDAC under Adeyeye’s leadership.
The groups said Adeyeye recently inaugurated a 600-member Pharmacist Reserve Volunteer Programme aimed at strengthening the agency’s fight against falsified and substandard medical products.
According to them, the initiative would help take the detection and control of substandard products closer to communities.
The groups also highlighted NAFDAC’s regulatory recognition under the World Health Organisation’s maturity-level framework.
They said NAFDAC attained and sustained Maturity Level 3 regulatory status following WHO’s re-benchmarking exercise in April 2022.
They explained that the ML3 rating indicated that the regulatory authority had a stable and integrated regulatory system and met relevant WHO standards.
The groups said the rating could also pave the way for Nigeria’s regulatory authority to be considered for inclusion in the WHO-listed Authorities framework, subject to further evaluation.
They noted that Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria had attained ML3 regulatory status on the African continent.
The groups said the development demonstrated NAFDAC’s commitment to protecting public health and ensuring access to safe, effective and quality medicines.
“All these signal Nigeria’s commitment to global standards and mean another important step in ensuring that Nigerians have access to safe, high-quality, and effective medicare,” they said.
The groups urged Nigerian youths to put national interest above personal gains and reject attempts by individuals to use them to advance illicit businesses.
“We admonish them that Nigeria should come first,” they said.
They specifically warned youths against being used by what they described as “merchants of death” involved in the sale of falsified, adulterated and substandard drugs.
“Do not listen to them. Do not allow them to use you. Ignore their ill-gotten wealth,” the groups said.
They also appealed to journalists to exercise responsibility in reporting issues concerning NAFDAC and other public institutions.
“You owe the country a duty to educate and inform correctly. Be patriotic. Be intentional,” they said.
“Make Nigeria your number one.”