By NAOMI UZOR
Federal government has been urged to adopt  the standard of Good Manufacturing Product, GMP, set by the  National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, in place the  World Health Organisation  standard.

Making the call in a chat with Good Health Weekly,  Managing Director, Mopson Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Michael Oyebanjo,said there are good pharmaceuticals companies in Nigeria that can produce products that will surpass the WHO standard, adding that there are factories that can produce products that are efficacious more than that produced in the WHO certified factories.

He argued that  government, especially NAFDAC, should be interested in manufacturers that can produce goods that can compete at international standard, especially with reference to donors.

Oyebanji called on government to enable universities and research institutes set up a manufacturing standard form, and call manufacturers to follow that standard, so that anybody who wants to donate anything to Nigeria,  should then come in that line and give the donation to the body, and recognise the standard, once the standard is recognised,  the donor will be interested in giving money for good service that is why they go to WHO,

“Government should stop WHO standard products there is nowhere you can go in the market today, imported goods, and see WHO standard products, none. You will see India pharmacopeia, USP,  British pharmacopeia, let them have a Nigerian reference,  let them have  a reference for static standard.

The WHO is a good body, it is for the world, but the way it is coming into Nigeria and the way Nigerians are clamoring it, is not good. The Federal government should in the mean time, stop that W.H.O standard and keep to NAFDAC’s current GMP standard.” he argued.