By Ukpong Victoria
So far, the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has been trying to curb the menace of substandard products although it is a hard nut to crack.
The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) is a body given the responsibility of ensuring that products manufactured within the country and products imported into the country meet quality standards. This is to safeguard the health and safety of the citizens of the country.
This body works hand in hand with National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigerian Customs to evaluate products being brought into the country and produced within the country.
These organizations would have by now solved about 55% of this problem if it were to be properly funded by the government. If goods produced in Nigeria are considered to be quality rather than the imported ones and majorly if corrupt leaders would stop stealing these funds.
Nigeria loses about N15trillion naira to fake goods annually. Nigeria is ranked amongst the world’s highest market for fake and substandard goods.
Fake and substandard products spans through all categories of items from drugs, electrical, electronic household appliances, building materials, tyres and tubes, automobiles, machine spare parts, food and machines to mention a few, still continues to find its way into the Nigerian market.
Nigeria’s recession has crippled a lot of business activities causing producers to reduce in the quality of their products. Goods are also springing up everywhere in the country, most without authorization especially skin care products.
These bodies should stand up to the task of sensitizing the public especially those in the rural communities on which goods to buy and how to confirm its authenticity amd traceability, that is, Product Authentication Mark (PAM).
Tighten their checks on imported goods at the ports before it is distributed because it is almost impossible to stop the harm after the goods distribution.
The steady influx of substandard tyres, spare parts and drugs has caused a great harm to the people of Nigeria. Causing great loses to businessmen and a regular visit to the hospital by buyers.
The SON, NAFDAC and Customs needs highly trained personnel as activities of those involved in substandard products are becoming more technical. The establishment and equipping of more laboratories should reduce the workload on existing ones. This will enable effective and efficient testing of goods.
They should also partner with bodies capable of helping to curb this menace
NAFDAC on its own has intensified efforts, introducing nationwide campaign in schools and plans to expand mobile technology approach, takes fight to its grassroots through its Young Pharmacists Group (YPG).
The continuous proliferation of fake and substandard drugs in the Nigerian market has generated increased concerns by most stakeholders in the health sector.
These fake and substandard drugs have been considered a global threat to human lives, leading to treatment failure, organ dysfunction or damage, worsening of chronic disease conditions and the death of many Nigerians.
According to available information on essential medicine and health product information portal of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the proliferation of fake and substandard drugs in Nigeria has affected the credibility of the healthcare system, which can result to harmful effects on consumers leading to illness, disabilities and even death.
Also, further reports by the International Criminal Policing Association (INTERPOL), revealed that one million people die yearly from fake and counterfeit drug.
Recent studies evaluated the quality of drugs globally, which showed that 9.1 percent of drugs failed the basic quality control tests, with an estimated 16.6 percent drug failure rate in Africa, about one in every six pills.
The Financial Services Advisory Leader and Chief Economist, Project Blue, PWC Nigeria, Andrew Nevin, at the 90th Annual National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) in Umuahia, the Abia Stata capital, stated that Africa records at least 100,000 deaths, arising from fake drug-related ailments, yearly, as counterfeits drugs account for 17 percent of the generic drugs in supply in Nigeria.
Though, NAFDAC, has advocated for the passage of the bill, which seeks life imprisonment, confiscation of assets and compensation of victims on conviction, which has not been passed yet by the Senate.
With nearly $1 trillion in drug sales yearly, the penalty for counterfeiting is punishable by imprisonment for between three months to five years or alternatively a fine of N100, 000 is imposed.
These bodies should do more to stop the sales and importation of these substandard products so as to enable a better living for Nigerians.
Government should also encourage Nigerians to produce quality products which should also be exported to other nations of the world.
