The National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the increasing involvement of secondary school students in drug abuse across the country.
Pharmacist Chukwuma Oligbo, NAFDAC’s director for the South-South zone, revealed this during the 2024 sensitisation and awareness campaign on substandard and falsified medical products in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday.
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The event was attended by representatives from the Nigerian Customs Service, the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Medical Association, and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, among others.
Oligbo stressed the critical role medical products play in healthcare delivery but lamented that the economic downturn in Nigeria has made these products less accessible. “Medical products are an integral and pivotal part of health delivery. They need to be available, affordable, and quality assured. But on this side of this divide, affordability, availability, and quality have become a great challenge, particularly now that there is an economic downturn in Nigeria,” he said.
He also highlighted how the global economic crisis has impacted drug prices, stating, “When they are available, the prices are hitting the ceiling.”
In a separate presentation, Dr. Regina Garba, head of Post-Market Surveillance at NAFDAC, accused some pharmacies of selling uncertified medical products. She emphasized that the agency’s actions in combating substandard and falsified drugs are part of its mandate from the federal government, stating, “The fight against substandard and falsified drugs is a fight to save Nigeria.”
