The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on Friday said he would start the enforcement of the Federal Government’s directive on drug control centres from January, 2019.
Adewole said that this step would end the sales of drugs through the operations of drug marts in Nigeria.
The minister spoke in Aba at the ground breaking ceremony of the Abia State Wholesale Control Centre (CWC) for drugs.
He said that the final deadline for the enforcement had been fixed for January, 2019, saying that there would be no going back on the deadline.
“There will be no going back on the January, 2019 deadline.
“If we find anybody doing marketing or wholesale distribution in January, 2019, we will arrest and confiscate the product.
“For those who nurse the dream that there will be another CWC in Abia State, they should wake up from the dream, because there will be no other one.
“Please let us work together; do not write any petition to me again, because I will not read it and I will not do any business with the petition.
“I learnt that those writing petitions are using the soldiers. I will use the Generals and not soldiers. I will use the Minister of Defence, so that we will enforce the order.
“The directive came from the Presidential Committee on Pharmaceutical Sector Reform. We did not just wake up and say go to this place. It has presidential backing,’’ he said.
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, said he was glad that the centre was being set up to identify those genuine drug dealers and stop the circulation of fake drugs.
The governor said the state government would ensure that all genuine drug dealers relocate to the centre on completion to create a safer drug distribution system in the state.
Ikpeazu, represented by his deputy, Sir Ude Oko-Chukwu, said that Abia would provide the needed facilities for the centre to function optimally.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, said that the CWCs were meant to ensure regulated and organised drug distribution at four levels, with drug manufacturers at the apex.
Adeyeye said that NAFDAC would play its role to make the policy to succeed, urging drug dealers to play by the rules of the law for safety.
She was represented by Mr Ali Ibrahim, the Director, Pharmacovigilance and Post-marketing Surveillance. (NAN)
