In a country such as Nigeria where politics permanently determines the matter of the moment, discerning citizens must find time to occasionally draw attention to more critical issues that the political class often ignores.
When rating a nation, issues such as the economic and political stability of the nation as well as its international posture would no doubt be in the front burner; but those are not the real issues that determine a nation's greatness. A nation's full viability that would enable her to survive over time is dependent on the quality of life of its citizens. This is why visionary leaders always prioritize the health of their citizens by constantly embracing policies which improve their living standards.
In a country that pursues viability, the matter of the moment would not be what is most talked about now in Nigeria - the bogus membership registration of the ruling political party that is likely to turn out to be higher than the figures in the official voters register, one of the real issues of the moment would have been the commendable effort by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC to stop a harmful alcohol packaging. In other climes, everyone would have remained standing directly behind such a pragmatic regulator. Not so in Nigeria. What we have had in the last decade is for segments in government to stand firmly behind the business interest that wants private profit to override public health.
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The story behind the fight between NAFDAC and the self-seeking business segment of our nation is irritating. According to reports, NAFDAC around 2018 rose to place a halt to the packaging and sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles below 200ml. Two Associations, namely: that of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers as well as that of Distillers and Blenders raised objections which culminated in their signing of an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC in December 2018 to phase out the undesirable form of alcohol packaging not later than exactly two years ago, that is January 31, 2024. As usual, lobbying achieved an extension by another year to allow manufacturers adequate time to comply with the policy.
Rather than compliance, the subject has since entered a period of blackmail with those benefitting from the harmful business pulling all strings to keep the regulator at bay. First, it was a circular from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation OSGF that was issued 'directing' the regulator to stop further action. The main argument of those against the ban is that it could lead to job losses but to nail the position, they have gone ahead into false advertisement such as that NAFDAC was sealing up their businesses. The truth however is that what was sealed up was the objectionable segment that puts alcohol in packages that can easily expose young people and children to danger.
Anytime people talk about NAFDAC, what immediately comes to mind is the glorious era of Professor Dora Akunyili who served as Director- General of the Agency from 2001 to 2008. She was bold and sagacious and through out her tenure waged a relentless war against fake manufacturers and distributors. She was so strong that her name became synonymous with the agency, and since she left office none of her successors has been able to measure up to her in fame and glory. This week, many would have hastily concluded that she would have upheld the current ban on alcohol packages to the last. Of course, no one can dispute Dora's eminence but for those in government during her tenure we dare say things have changed.
To me, the current DG, Mojisola Adeyeye has shown similar brilliance in the area of knowledge of subject matter. She is indeed an excellent professional with her own style of leadership. Dora Akunyili succeeded so much because she had the backing of the government of the day. Any agency head who worked with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had access to the president and was encouraged and openly commended for living up to the expectations of his mandate. Every Ministry, Department and Agency MDA paid for NTA services after the presidency was ordered to pay following my report as the then DG that official VIPs were not paying.
It is obvious from the narrative of the moment that Adeyeye is a lone fighter against men of the underworld. She certainly can't enjoy the free hand to work as Dora and the rest of us had in our time. It is difficult for instance to see how the office of the SGF came to the conclusion that it had supervisory roles over NAFDAC which made the office to cow NAFDAC in a matter about which the regulator knows more than the much higher political office of the SGF. The latter had no business issuing a circular to Adeyeye who by law is expected to relate with the relevant minister only in matters of policy and not routine operations. Neither the letters nor the spirit of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act Cap N1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 refer even tangentially to the OSGF
In addition, NAFDAC is not just any other entity, it is a regulator that is empowered to regulate everyone including those who are now issuing circulars to her. It is also reported that a part of the National Assembly had directed NAFDAC to stop while another had asked her to go ahead with the same subject. In a country with strong institutions what to do, where to do it and most importantly how to do it are institutionalized. The functioning of the body is not supposed to be personalized; meaning that if Adeyeye were indisposed or removed from office today, NAFDAC's performance would remain organized professionally. So, in this struggle between Nigerians who like to make money to the detriment of other citizens, the best that the rest of us are to do is to applaud NAFDAC for her capacity to insist that products which endanger society must be disallowed.
There are several reasons why we should all support NAFDAC at this point more than ever before. To start with, everyone knows that alcohol cannot be classified as harmless to society. Bearing in mind that some people enjoy alcohol, it can be argued that adults ought to know how far to go with it to avoid harm. But then those that use alcohol can harm not only themselves but others around them. In the case of children and young people, it is possible that some of them would be easily dissuaded from large bottles. It is however unwise to expose the youths to small quantity of colourful and deceptive packages of alcohol which are relatively cheap and accessible everywhere.
According to several resource persons who spoke on the subject during the week, alcohol increases the risk of hypertension by as high as 10%. In which case, alcohol can start a process which leads to hypertension and which can in turn increase stroke cases in a society. If those who are making profits from small alcohol packages are doing all they can to retain their profits, the rest of the nation should defiantly disapprove and support NAFDAC. Support can come from citizens who can inform authorities of sharp practices they know of. Another type of support is a more efficient inter agency collaboration. If law enforcement agencies such as the police and customs decide to collaborate more with NAFDAC, more than half of the problem will go.
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The support that can come from our legislators ought not to be by way of telling the regulator what to do or not to do but rather to update laws that can strengthen the capacity of the regulator to keep the nation safe from sharp and adverse business practices. For example, NAFDAC's enabling law can be described as evidently inadequate when compared with what happens in India where sanctions for breaching drug and food rules can be as high as life imprisonment. If sanctions are not only high but faithfully implemented, then the relevant regulatory agency would have no excuse for poor performance.
But if defaulters are heavily linked to highly placed government officials, it becomes difficult as such defaulters can easily be either left off the hook or their cases discharged in court on technical grounds. It is not difficult to support a regulator who is well-meaning. In the case of a ban on a particular format of alcohol packaging and not alcohol in its entirety, popular support for NAFDAC should not be difficult. All that NAFDAC is saying is: stop distributing beverages less than 200ml.
