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NAFDAC Partners Centre on Fight Against Drug Counterfeiting

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has partnered with the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA) to strengthen its fight against drug counterfeiting, abuse and unwholesome foods.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof.

Mojisola Adeyeye, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday.

Adeyeye noted that the partnership also included the fight against unauthorised handling of chemicals which was part of the things fuelling terrorists operations and other criminal activities in the country.

The NAFDAC boss said the agency sealed the partnership when a delegation from the NCTC-ONSA, led by its National Coordinator, Maj.

-Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, paid her a courtesy visit in Abuja.

According to her, NAFDAC is a World Health Organisation (WHO) Maturity Level 3 Regulatory Authority and is highly endowed with experts in terms of human resources, and well equipped WHO Pre-qualified Laboratories.

Adeyeye said that NAFDAC, being a regulatory agency, is supposed to have 12,000 staff but the staff the agency has at the moment is barely 2,000 in a country of more than 230 million people.

“Indonesian Regulatory Agency has over twenty thousand staff and the population of Indonesia is about 280 million.

“NAFDAC staff work around the clock. We are not just a civil service organisation but a regulatory body that is mandated to protect lives on a daily basis from food to drugs to water, precursors and chemicals that can fall into the hands of the terrorists.”

Adeyeye thanked the Office of the National Security Adviser for returning NAFDAC to the ports in 2018, a year after her assumption of office as the Director-General of NAFDAC.

“So, this partnership between the two strategic agencies in the country at this point is very apt to safeguard the lives our citizens,” the NAFDAC boss said.

Adeyeye recalled that NAFDAC was out of the ports for seven years between 2011 and 2018 for reasons she said herself was not aware of, while sharing her passion and commitment for a better and secured country.

She said that there was need for NAFDAC to return to the Ports, adding that a lot of things went wrong when NAFDAC was pulled out of the ports.

She added that anything bad was coming to Nigeria in terms of drugs, precursors, adding that tramadol was rampant in the country.

“Our young people were getting mad at this period. Suicide bombing was at the peak. At this period, I said do we really know what we are doing?

“NAFDAC is charge with drug regulation. We are in charge of chemical and NAFDAC was removed from the ports for seven years. That is part of why terrorism became big in the country.

“I always refer to NCTC-ONSA as one of the agencies that helped us to go back to the ports. I commended the relentless efforts of the NCTC-ONSA in supporting NAFDAC to return to the port,” she stressed.

Adeyeye said that NAFDAC will continue to work with the organisation to ensure that sanity returns to the country, while issuing a stem warning to criminals who deal with substandard and falsified medicines to desist.

The D-G thanked the security agencies for their support during the recent relocation of the Open Drug Market in Kano to the Coordinated Wholesale Centre in Dangwauro and Justice Simon Amobeda for watershed judgement.

She said that the judgment affirmed the relocation of the market.

On his part, Maj. Gen. Laka said that his team were in NAFDAC office to solicit the agency’s support in deploying of some its officers to the NCTC to operate in its Forensic, Toxicology, Biological and Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) Laboratories.

He said that the embodiment of knowledge in the area of science and research standout NAFDAC in the community of World Regulatory Authorities.

He pledged his continuous support to the NAFDAC in the area of operations, research, Laboratory testing and investigation.

He also sought NAFDAC’s support to the Centre in the area of operationalisation of the laboratory equipment and analysis for it to achieve its objective.

Laka equally thanked NAFDAC D-G for releasing one of her staff to the Centre and requested for more staff from the agency. (NAN)

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Ajuri, Tinubu’s Spokesperson Takes Exit, Cites Mesical Reaaona

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Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Chief Ajuri Ngelale has quit his job. He said in a statement in a Abuja that he would proceed on an ” indefinite leave, to deal with ” medical matters” affecting him amd hia immediate family.Hos statement reads: “On Friday, I submittd a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President informing my office that I am proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence to frontally deal with medical matters presently affecting my immediate, nuclear family.

While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson of the President; Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home.
I look forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit.I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and family”

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Fuel Crisis: 1000 CSOs Fault Tinubu’s Economic Team, Want Immediate Reconstitution

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By David Torough, Abuja

About 1000 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), under the auspices of Coalition Of Civil Society Organisations (CCSOs), on Saturday Faults President Bola Tinubu’s Economic Team and called for immediate reconstitution.Expressing deep concerns over the state of the economy and escalating fuel prices compounding the hardship of Nigerians despite the recent protest, the groups said Tinubu must act now to avert disintegration.

The groups said the current situation across the country has cast doubt on the competence of the Tinubu economic team and called for urgent review.
The CCSOs in a statement by its National Coordinator, Mallam Ibrahim Mohammed, pointed out that the plight of Nigerians is sinking low and their patience is wearing off following the deteriorating economy.
The statement reads in part, “The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) is deeply concerned about the deteriorating state of the Nigerian economy, which is becoming increasingly unbearable for millions of citizens.“It is evident that the recent hike in fuel prices and the unstable exchange rate are the direct results of economic mismanagement by those responsible for overseeing our nation’s financial policies. The ripple effects of these failures are being felt in every household across the country, worsening poverty and crippling economic activity.“The floating of the Naira, which was initially sold to Nigerians as a means of stabilizing our currency, has done little to prevent the continued devaluation of the Naira. In fact, the exchange rate disparity has widened significantly, with the Naira losing value daily, impacting the cost of living, basic commodities, and inflation.“While this policy was expected to ease foreign exchange pressure, it has instead deepened economic challenges due to poor implementation and lack of strategic foresight.”The coalition also expressed concern over what it described as a death trap of indebtedness of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which also they claimed had slowed down importation of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, hence the current shortage of PMS across the country. “Of equal concern is the precarious position of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which finds itself in a debt trap, with global suppliers of petroleum products losing confidence in Nigeria’s ability to honour its obligations.“Reports have shown that NNPCL has accrued debts totalling over $6 billion, causing petrol supply shortages. International suppliers are now reluctant to continue providing fuel on credit, exacerbating supply chain issues and pushing up the price of petrol at the pump”, they claimed.The CSOs also asserted that, “We hold the managers of the Nigerian economy responsible for these disturbing developments. Their inability to provide sound policies and long-term solutions has left the nation in this predicament.“It is clear that there is no cohesive strategy to address the rising debt, the growing imbalance in the foreign exchange market, or the country’s heavy reliance on importation for petrol supply. The recent hike in fuel prices reflects the collapse of responsible economic management and accountability.“Nigerians are left to bear the brunt of these failures. Businesses are shutting down, transportation costs have skyrocketed, and citizens are spending an increasingly larger percentage of their income on basic necessities. This state of affairs is unacceptable.”The group therefore placed some demands; Immediate intervention from the government: There needs to be a comprehensive and transparent plan to stabilize the Naira, restore confidence in the petroleum supply chain, and negotiate a restructuring of NNPC’s debts to ensure continuous fuel supply.“Accountability for economic mismanagement: Those responsible for the reckless management of our foreign exchange policies and NNPC’s debts must be held accountable. The government must also disclose its plan to mitigate the rising fuel costs and economic burden on Nigerians.“A return to sound financial policy: The floating of the Naira has proven ineffective under current conditions. We call for a re-evaluation of monetary and fiscal policies to stabilize the economy, reduce inflation, and attract foreign investment.“In conclusion, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations reiterates that without immediate corrective measures, the economic situation will continue to deteriorate, leading to further hardship for the average Nigerian. The government must act decisively and responsibly to reverse this downward spiral”, they added.

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Tension in Makurdi Community as NAF Personnel Demolishes Houses, Destroys Rice Farm

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There is growing tension in Ugondu community, Makurdi LGA, Benue state by young people opposed to the demolition of houses and destruction of rice farms in the area allegedly on the directives of senior Air Force officer, Air Commodore Akinbuwa Ayodele.

It was learnt that Commodore Ayodele, who is facing multiple legal actions following dispute over a plot of land located on George Akume Way Makurdi and owned in blatant disregard to the judicial process embarked on destruction of structures on the plot.

Eyewitness said when the equipment arrived no one imagined it was for destruction.

But in a militray- like operation, two flats of two units each, completely roofed, electrified and plumbing work completed were among the structures demolished as the bulldozers rolled over rice farms in the vicinity as well.

It was learnt that last year, a Makurdi High Court presided by Justice Mary Ijohor, granted an order of perpetual injunction, in the same matter, upon application by the supposed owner of the plot and awarded the sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) only, as cost. The matter, enforcement of fundamental rights, was marked as MHC/582/M/2023.

Godwin Akor whose rice farm was destroyed in a chat with newsmen said that he was shocked at the development. He however said he won’t speak more on the matter as it is still before the court.

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