The Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, has criticised the overdependence on importation in Nigeria.
Mojisola, speaking on Channels TV, said the only thing Nigerian pharmaceutical companies do not import is water.
According to the NAFDAC DG, overdependence on importation has affected the availability of medical supplies in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were over-dependent. The only thing that the pharmaceutical companies do not import is water.
“The ingredients are not there and you cannot manufacture ingredients, whether active or non-active in the country without support from the government.
“You cannot set up active pharmaceutical industries without training the personnel; without having solid science foundation.
“But that is changing at the moment. We have two or three companies now that are going to be making some pharmaceutical ingredients.
She added that importation is the best thing, but it is also the worst thing that could have happened to Nigeria.
The NAFDAC DG further called for the need for increased local production in Nigeria.
Mojisola, however, added that she sees a better future for health sector and pharmaceutical as Coronavirus has drawn the attention of the government to the health sector.
“I actually see a brighter future for Nigeria because COVID-19 woke us up from our comatose state as a country. The health sector was neglected for decades and what the Buhari administration is doing right now is phenomenal.”
According to her, the health sector as a result of COVID-19 has garnered support and financial contribution from the current administration.
