The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was established in January 1993. The establishment of the agency was in response to the escalating cases of counterfeit and substandard drugs as well as food products in circulation within Nigeria making people sick and even dying.
In those days, it was noted that many people fell ill and died because of consuming counterfeit drugs as well as unregulated products, hence the need to establish the commission.
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Key Milestones Leading to the Establishment of NAFDAC
The need for stronger regulations in the Nigerian drug market, as well as its food industries, was becoming more pronounced before its inception.
This happened when the Federal Ministry of Health created the Food and Drug Directorate in 1992 to manage the escalating fake drugs predicament.
Nevertheless, the body was underfunded and had no powers that could enable it to fight against this kind of crisis on a large scale.
Due to the realization for a stronger, more autonomous organization; the government scrapped The Directorate to establish NAFDAC officially in January 1993.
An assignment was made specifically to this body whose responsibility remains as regulation and control of manufacture; distribution; import; export or sale including usage regarding foodstuffs; medicines; chemicals in the form of packaged water among others cosmetic ornaments.
Decree No. 15 of 1993 which was later named NAFDAC Act Cap N1 LFN 2004 gave legal backing for regulatory actions by the agency.
It stated explicitly that it was only NAFDAC which could allow safe and controlled products into Nigeria; and punish people engaged in selling fake commodities.
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NAFDAC’s Inaugural Director-General: Professor Gabriel Ediale Osuide
Since its inception, the agency has been instrumental in safeguarding public health by regulating and ensuring the safety of food, drugs as well as other consumable items in Nigeria.
At its inception, NAFDAC’s pioneer substantive Director-General was Professor Gabriel Ediale Osuide. A pharmacist and scholar, his tenure from 1994 to 2000 set the stage for the regulatory architecture of NAFDAC.
Under his stewardship, NAFDAC started enforcing stringent control mechanisms to oversee the production and sale of both pharmaceuticals and edibles.
Professor Gabriel Ediale Osuide laid the foundation for its expansion, improved upon by subsequent stewards and most importantly during Prof.Dora Akunyili’s reformative tenure.
Today, NAFDAC remains a robust regulatory body that continues to preserve its tradition of upholding stringent control measures on the manufacturing, commercialization and marketing of drugs, food items plus other consumables.
Consequently, it has become an important part of public health in safeguarding people’s lives by providing safe, efficient and superior products to Nigerians despite being on the lookout for fake goods.
During his tenure, he used his background knowledge and previous engagements to erect a regulatory architecture for NAFDAC which would guarantee the Nigerian market against harmful consumables.
This was because he knew that pirated and fake goods were having a very bad impact on public health, something that led him championing for very strict control on consumables including pharmaceuticals.
Counterfeiting had been widespread in Nigeria before the formation of NAFDAC-enabled drugs companies to flood the market with fake drugs that lacked any therapeutic value while containing substances dangerous for human consumption.
This has led to higher death rates caused by these drugs especially among babies, expectant mothers as well as aged people that are more susceptible to illness complications.
