Customs, NAFDAC Signs MoU.

By Joe Njoku,
Global Freight News.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has formalised a strategic partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The event took place on the second day of the Comptroller-General of Customs 2024 Conference held at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
The historic event aims at strengthening collaboration in combating the influx of illicit pharmaceutical products and other harmful substances in the country.

Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi described the agreement as the culmination of years of dedicated dialogue and combinations between the two agencies.

Highlighting the critical mandate of the Service in safeguarding national security, public health safety, said, “What we have seen today is a culmination of efforts for several months, I must say, years of regular consultation between the two of us. This partnership is a response to a major scourge we are facing in the country.”

He noted that Article 2 of the document outlined a comprehensive scope of collaboration, particularly in intelligence sharing, adding, “We will be talking about the exchange of intelligence between our agencies.”

He further said that, sometimes at midnight, NAFDAC DG sends intelligence report to me, saying, “We learn that a suspicious container may be birth in in the morning. This kind of real information flow is critical to our joint efforts.”

Reflecting on the collaborative bond that has grown between the two agencies personnel, Adeniyi said the hands-on commitment shown by officers at the nation’s ports and border stations.

“When we declared a state of emergency in one of our ports, We were misunderstood, but the reports we have received indicate we are just scratching the surface of illicit pharmaceutical products entering our markets. It is time for all of us to say, collectively, that this will be the beginning of the end. We are going to save Nigeria and the future of our kids from these dangerous products.”

The DG NAFDAC, Professor Moji Adeyeye, described the agreement as a “significant stride” pointing out the daily impact of the products regulated by her agency on Nigerians.

“It is important because of you and me”, she said. We consume at least two of our regulated products everyday, food and healthcare items. This partnership is about ensuring that the food, Drug and healthcare products we take are safe and of the highest quality.”

She highlighted the threats posed by unregulated and illicit products to national security, as some approved chemicals can be misused by criminais and terrorists adding, “This is of national significant.”

We have ghost companies that are not on our list. This MoU marks the beginning of the end of such practices,” she said.

She further expressed gratitude for the close partnership affirming that the initiative transcends individuals and agencies. “It is about NAFDAC, it is not about Adeyeye and Adeniyi. It is about saving the future of our country,” She concluded.