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The National Bureau of Statistics says N1.03 billion worth of sub standards goods were seized in Nigeria in 2016

| By Anayo Ezugwu | Feb 20, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT |

OVER the last one year the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, impounded fake and sub-standard products worth N1.03 billion. The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, which gave the figures in a report published on its website on Wednesday, February 8, also said 4,296 applications were received for new products registration during the period while 7,679 products were presented for registration approval. Out of these numbers, 7,444 products were granted registration while 235 products registration were rejected. No product was withdrawn during the review period.

According to the Registered Products 2016 report which was released by the NBS, 3,236 applications were received for new imported products registration while 2,262 products were presented for registration approval out of which 2,033 products were granted registration while 229 products registration were rejected.

However, 1,060 applications were received for new locally produced products registration; 5,417 products were presented for registration approval, out of which 5,411 products were granted registration and six products registration rejected last year.

A further breakdown showed imported human drugs topped the list of imported products presented for registration approval by NAFDAC.

Similarly, packaged water dominated the list of locally-made products presented for registration approval. While cosmetics topped the list for new products registration locally, human drugs also dominated new registration applications for imported products. Separately, the NBS stated that between 2013 and 2016, a total of 19,833 vessels berthed at the nation’s seaports.

According to the ship and port activities report, 543.84 million tonnages were registered during the period under review. A breakdown of the vessels and their tonnage for the four-year period showed that 2013 recorded 5,369 vessels with 130.6 million registered tonnage while 2014, 2015 and 2016 had 5,346, 5,090 and 4,025 with registered tonnage of 146.8 million, 144.2 million and 122.18 million, respectively.

Tin Can Island Port handled the most ships accounting for 33 percent of total number of ships that berthed in all ports and 32 percent of total tonnage registered in all ports.

This was closely followed by the Apapa port which accounted for 28 percent of ships that berthed and 25 percent of total tonnage registered.

Onne port accounted for 15 percent of ships that berthed and 30 percent of total tonnage registered.

The ship traffic statistics at Nigerian ports has reflected that a total number of 19,833 vessels berthed at the various ports between 2013 and 2016. Similarly 543,842,425 tonnages were registered within the period under review. Year 2014 recorded the highest number of vessels berthed as well as tonnages registered while the least were recorded in 2016.

Total passenger traffic within the period was recorded at 52,262. The highest number of passenger traffic was recorded in 2013, according to the statistical agency.

The NAFDAC had in November 2016 said it recorded a drastic reduction in circulation of fake and substandard regulated products in the country since the last two years. Yetunde Oni, acting director general, NAFDAC, revealed that in 2014 NAFDAC destroyed fake and counter¬feit medicines and other regulated products worth N120 million, but that in 2016, the figure dropped to N75 million.

“In 2014, we carried out the destruction of over 120 million naira worth of fake and counterfeit medicines and other regulated products and we are happy that this figure is down to 75 million naira in 2016. This is an indicator of NAFDAC’s strengthened enforcement and surveillance systems. We are optimistic that in the near future, we would have little or nothing to destroy as we look toward ensuring avail¬ability of good quality, efficacious, safe and affordable medicines and wholesome reg¬ulated products to the Nigerian populace,” she said.

Oni, expressed concern that counterfeiters have continue to adopt different sophisticated strategies to ensure that they evade arrest and enjoy proceeds of counterfeit products at the expense of the lives of Nigerians. She, however, vowed that her agency will continue to deploy cutting edge strategies and measures to ensure that violators are ar¬rested and prosecuted.

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