According to report by the Nigerian Tribune on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said the agency’s seven-year absence from Nigeria’s ports contributed to the emergence of illicit networks within the pharmaceutical distribution system.
Adeyeye disclosed this on the sidelines of the 4th Thematic General Assembly of the African Pharmaceutical Distribution Association and the 2026 conference of the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) in Lagos.
According to her, NAFDAC was removed from the country’s ports in 2011 and only returned on May 16, 2018.
She explained that the prolonged absence weakened regulatory supervision over pharmaceutical products entering and leaving the country, creating room for cabals to operate.
The NAFDAC chief said she could not confirm whether influential individuals were supporting suspected counterfeit medicine networks but assured Nigerians that the agency would continue taking measures to protect public health.
Adeyeye stressed that safeguarding medicines must begin from the source and cover transportation, storage and distribution.
She said maintaining proper standards at every stage of the supply chain was essential to ensuring patients received safe and effective medicines.
She also disclosed that NAFDAC was increasingly using technology to monitor the movement of pharmaceutical products and strengthen regulatory surveillance.
The DG called for closer cooperation between NAFDAC, PWDAN and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, warning that weaknesses in the distribution chain could expose Nigerians to harmful medicines.
She further maintained that there was no separate African standard for pharmaceutical regulation, insisting that the industry must comply with internationally recognised standards.
PWDAN Chairman, Pharm. Oghenochuko Omaruaye, also urged stronger traceability and accountability in medicine distribution.
He warned that falsified and substandard medicines could undermine public confidence, increase healthcare costs and worsen disease outcomes.
Omaruaye advocated wider use of technology and data-driven systems to ensure medicines can be tracked, verified and authenticated throughout the supply chain.
COURTESY: Ladipsmews
