The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, revealed on Friday that when she officially assumed her position in 2017, no director at the agency had access to a laptop. She emphasized the significance of this fact, stating, “It’s worth publicising that we have over 140 vehicles over the last five years that we have purchased to do our work. A laptop is almost like exercise books now; it’s almost like a telephone to the world, so to say communication.” Adeyeye made this statement during her speech at the South-West zonal media sensitisation workshop titled “Dangers of Bleaching Creams and Regulatory Control,” which took place at the House of Chiefs Hall in Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan, Oyo State.
In her address, Adeyeye explained that she did not prioritize acquiring vehicles upon her arrival at NAFDAC because she encountered a significant debt of approximately N3.2 billion. She noted, “I met a debt of N3.2 billion in NAFDAC. No vehicles, no computers, no equipment in the laboratory, so there were some things that needed to be done first.” She recalled an incident when one of her pilot vehicles broke down on the road, highlighting that her focus was on addressing the agency’s financial obligations rather than acquiring new vehicles for herself.
Adeyeye also discussed the harmful effects of bleaching creams, which can lead to serious health issues such as cancer, damage to vital organs, and skin irritation. She explained that the workshop was initiated in response to a Senate resolution calling for decisive action against the widespread use of bleaching creams in Nigeria. “Last year, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, acting on the resolutions of the Senate, wrote to NAFDAC stressing the need to take stringent regulatory actions to stem the dangerous tide of rampant and pervasive cases of Nigerians using bleaching creams,” she stated.
In response to this issue, NAFDAC has implemented several measures, including public sensitization through various media outlets and enforcement actions such as intelligence-led raids in trade fair complexes, resulting in significant seizures and destruction of non-compliant products. Adeyeye noted that today’s workshop is part of her commitment to extend these efforts to all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. This initiative aims to mobilize, educate, and challenge Nigerian health journalists to take a leading role in the fight against the misuse of bleaching creams and the unnecessary waste of scarce resources in the country.
In her welcome address, Roseline Ajayi, the zonal director of NAFDAC, reiterated the purpose of the training, which is to raise awareness among journalists about the dangers of bleaching creams and to discuss regulatory measures to control their misuse in Nigeria.
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