Emeka Mamah
4 October 2007
Kaduna — Civil Society Groups in the North yesterday gave Pfizer Pharmaceutical International Company up till February next year within which to compensate victims of its Trovan drugs clinical trial in Kano State, some years ago or face the wrath of the people.
The group which organised a peaceful demonstration against Pfizer in Kaduna accused it of insensititvity to the plight of children who either died or were deformed from the effects of the Trovan drugs.
The demonstration was carried out mainly by youths at the zonal office of Pfizer along Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim Crescent.
Addressing the rally, the chairman of the northern Civil Rights Coalition, Mallam Shehu Sani said, "we are gathering here today as part of the continuation of our struggle against Pfizer and we should always know that Pfizer is the Pharmaceutical Company that conducted a test trial in 1996 in Kano.
"The test trial brought about the death of over 11 people , while several others were injured as a result of the clinical test.
"As human rights groups from the North, we found it necessary to speak out against this act of injustice and evil perpetrated by Pfizer against our people.
"We felt that by this kind of assembly we will sensitize the country and the world that Pfizer has committed a henious crime and murderous act against the people of Nigeria. And we are demanding compensation from the Pharmaceutical organisation.
"It is our belief that it is on the basis of compensation to the victims that there will ever be peace and justice. And we also use this opportunity of this rally to alert the world that we are giving Pfizer an ultimatum of 1st February, 2008; that on the account of Pfizer refusing to pay compensation to the victims of the Trovan clinical test we will embark on a massive national and international campaign call for the boycott of Pfizer products and services."
"we will move from house to house, shop to shop, and market to market.
"We will insist and appeal to our people that Pfizer products should be done away with. Pfizer is an evil and it is a company that perpetrated evil in Nigaeria, and we do not believe that our people in the North, Nigeria and even other parts of Africa should be used as guinea-apigs for clinical test of harmful drugs that have not been used in any part of the world."
Other civil cociety leaders including, Mallam Suleiman Ahmed, Mallam Nasir Abbas; Abdul Yusuf Abubakar and Bako Adbul Usman also condemned the attitude of Pfizer in not compensating the victims, saying, "we are not saying that Pfizer should compensate the civil society, but they should pay compensation to affected families and victims. The company has taken the docility of the North for granted, and the fact that it does not speak out on matters that affects its people."
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