Ibadan — DIRECTOR-General of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili has accussed the controversial Ibadan Politician, Chief Lamidi Adedibu of hindering the agency from getting rid of fake and smuggled products that are dangerous to human health.

She made this accusation yesterday in Ibadan during her courtesy call on the Oyo State Governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala in his office.

The NAFDAC boss explained to the governor that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain had been a cog in the wheel of progress of the agency, stressing that all efforts made by NAFDAC to seal or withdraw sub-standard drugs and edibles from circulation in the ancient city and environs had been thwarted by Chief Adedibu.

Making special plea to the governor to call the politician to order, she said "I want to tell your excellency that we have problems in Oyo State. The problems are weighing us down. We want to seize the opportunity of courtesy to tell you what we are going through maybe you can sort it out for us. We have been having a lot of problems with Chief Adedibu".

She added that one of such instances was when they were working on unfortified spaghetti and macaroni that were smuggled into the country and which were unhealthy for consumption. Chief Adedibu, she noted, got to the their office and threatened their staff and forcefully stopped that activity.

Prof. Akunyili went further: "He (Adedibu) did not stop at that. When NAFDAC closed Kollingnton fisheries, Chief Adedibu sent his boys to go and re-open the warehouse. When my staff reported to me, I told them to go back and seal it. They went back and sealed the warehouse; Chief Adedibu sent his boys to go and reopen it. Nobody has ever done this in Nigeria since we started our activities".

Chief Adedibu never allowed us to complete any investigation nor did he allow us to carry out sanctions that we carry out in other states. I have great problem in Onitsha and Kano, but in Oyo State, we could not carry out sanctions because of the activities of Chief Adedibu".

Highlighting further the way the politician aids and abets sellers of fake items in the city, she lamented that Chief Adedibu at a time had the effrontery to give orders which were at variance with the resolve of the agency to stamp out the fake products.

Her words: "Chief Adedibu sent cards to NAFDAC office giving instructions on what we should do. We were also hindered at Bodija market when we went to confiscate unfortified vegetable oil that were smuggled to the country, unhealthy for our people. The products seized were eventually confiscated back by the mob and since then we have not been able to collect them. They must have disappeared.

"In Oke Ogun area of the state, where staff of the agency went to collect fake drugs, they were also frustrated as the patent medicine staff called her husband who later mobilized thugs to attack our staff.

"There are incidents of molestation and rough handling of our staff in Oyo state and we pray that you use your good office to save us and assist to work in this state the way we are working in other states", she noted.

In his reaction, Chief Adedibu who spoke through his aide, Alhaji Taofeek Olayiwola said, he would be the last person to hinder the remarkable job that NAFDAC was doing.