Kano State Ministry of Health Task Force Committee on Counterfeit, Fake, Substandard Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods says it has seized and destroyed fake and counterfeit drugs worth N6 billion in the past nine years.
The chairman of the committee, Gali Sule, who disclosed this during an interactive session on Saturday, March 13, said since the inauguration of the task force in 2012, it has destroyed counterfeit drugs in the state in about 20 different occasions.
Sule attributed the success to the hard work and commitment of its members and other related agencies established to fight the menace.
According to the chairman, the state’s ranking on the consumption of fake and substandard drugs has droped from number one to six in a recent rating.
“If you sanitise Kano of fake drugs, you are sanitising many countries in the region of Africa of substandard drugs because countries like Niger, Chad, even Sudan among others buy their drugs from Kano,” he said.
“We have destroyed all the seized drugs, 20 destruction exercises for the seized drugs have been held since 2012, mostly witnessed by the executive governor of the state, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje,” Mr Sule explained.
He said before the inauguration of the committee, the government was spending a lot of money on malaria, yet the sicknesses persists because fake and counterfeit Malaria drugs normally brings about drug resistance.
Sule said that most drug hawkers on the streets of Kano have been driven away because of the activities of the committee, which has NAFDAC, NDLEA, security agencies, KAROTA, vigilance groups among others as members.
“Drug hawkers in Kano have been drastically reduced, before they were everywhere but they are no more, they have relocated to neighbouring states. Just three days ago we confiscated fake and adulterated antimalarial drugs, which if left undetected would have affected many, especially pregnant women,” he said.
“The logo on the drug is for a partnership programme between Kano state and some international donors on antimalarial drugs. The partnership had terminated three years ago, but these people are still using the logo to manufacture the fake drug,” said Mr Sule.
He said a site is being built, where all drug marketers, especially wholesalers in Kano would be relocated.
“All the drug regulatory agencies will be there to ensure that fake drugs are not brought in and distributed. Kano governor approved the site and it is almost 80 per cent completed,” he added.
