The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have inaugurated a joint committee to implement the provisions of their 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on combating the importation and circulation of fake and substandard drugs in the country.
The spokesperson of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.
Maiwada said the committee was inaugurated at the NAFDAC headquarters in Abuja to begin the joint implementation of the MoU.
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The reporter recalls that the NCS and NAFDAC signed an MoU on Nov. 14, 2024, to strengthen collaboration in combating the influx of illicit pharmaceuticals and other harmful substances into Nigeria.
According to the spokesperson, the committee was inaugurated during an official visit by the Comptroller-General (C-G) of the NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, to the office of NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye.
Maiwada described the visit as a concrete step towards translating the MoU into actionable programmes.
He said the Customs C-G reaffirmed the service’s commitment to the collaboration, describing the committee’s constitution as a crucial step towards fulfilling the agreement.
Maiwada also quoted the comptroller-general as commending Adeyeye’s commitment to strengthening inter-agency cooperation.
“Every time we meet, your position has always been for us to come together and deepen collaboration.
“This implementation committee will drive our shared vision to protect Nigerians from harmful, unregulated substances,” Adeniyi said.
Adeniyi stated that the terms of reference of the MoU had already been developed to guide the committee’s work.
He said, these includes development of a joint work plan, coordination of communication and training programmes, harmonisation of operational standards, monitoring and evaluation, alongside the identification of challenges with actionable solutions.
The C-G expressed confidence that the committee’s work would provide measurable outcomes that would benefit public health and national security.
He added that the agreement remained legally binding and governed by Nigerian law, as stated in the document.
Adeyeye stated that the regulatory cooperation with customs was central to extant efforts to rid the country of fake, substandard, and harmful products.
She also pledged to give the committee all the support it needed to succeed.
The committee is led by Olakunle Olaniran from NAFDAC, with Smart Akande, NCS Director of Legal Services, as Deputy.