The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has deployed 600 pharmacists across the country to boost drug regulation and curb the circulation of fake and substandard medicines.
The initiative is part of efforts to combat substandard and falsified medicines, unwholesome food, and other public health risks across Nigeria and its communities.
The agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Mr. Olusayo Akintola, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, quoting the Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
Adeyeye said the 600 qualified and service-ready pharmacists were selected from the 36 states and the FCT through a transparent process based on merit, availability, and geographical spread.
She administered the oath of allegiance to the volunteers and urged them to serve Nigeria with integrity, warning that they would face pressures and inducements meant to compromise their duties.
“Once a regulator is bought, the public loses its protection,” she said.
According to her, the Pharmacists Regulatory Volunteers Programme, PRVP, is more than an internship. She described it as an investment in people, professional development, and stronger national regulatory capacity.
“The volunteers will receive training in medicines regulation, including pharmacovigilance, compliance monitoring, quality assurance, data collection, public sensitisation against drug abuse, and practical measures protecting Nigerians from dangerous products and counterfeits,” she said.
Adeyeye explained that the programme would build a national reserve of trained pharmacists who could be mobilised during product recalls, suspected circulation of falsified medicines, public health emergencies, and other urgent regulatory situations.
She said her goal was for every state to have a standing pool of trained and vetted pharmacists working alongside NAFDAC state offices to strengthen surveillance.
The DG added that the initiative would extend NAFDAC’s presence beyond laboratories and ports of entry to markets, community pharmacies, patent medicine stores, and primary healthcare centres nationwide.
“Regulation that lives only in the capital cannot protect a nation of more than 200 million people. This programme is aimed at taking regulation to the doorstep of the Nigerian people,” she said.
Adeyeye urged the volunteers to remain disciplined, respond promptly to assignments, and maintain confidentiality, noting that information obtained during inspections belongs to NAFDAC and the Nigerian people.
She said they would be mentored by experienced professionals and their service would be documented through certification and letters to strengthen their credentials.
The Programme Coordinator and Director of Narcotics and Controlled Substances, Dr. Momodu Rametu, said the PRVP was designed as a backup system for emergency response and supplemental regulatory support.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the NAFDAC Training School, Dr. Tunde Sigbeku, said volunteers would be trained on post-market surveillance, pharmacovigilance, inspection, enforcement, and prevention of antimicrobial resistance.
He described the programme as the first time NAFDAC would have a national reserve of personnel to support the fight against fake, substandard, and dangerous pharmaceutical products. _(NAN)
