By Obialunamma Nwadiogbu

EKWULUOBIA-MORE than 42 secondary schools in Anambra State have been mobilized by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, for the fight against fake and counterfeit drugs and food products. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, said that the students were being mobilised through the NAFDAC Consumer Safety Clubs, NCSC, in secondary schools, “which as a catch them young programme,” was yielding the needed positive results as hundreds of schools had key-in into the programme nationwide.

Orhii spoke during an annual award ceremony organised by NAFDAC for secondary schools competition for members of NCSC at Onitsha, Anambra in the state. He noted that the agency was moulding a future generation that “is not only empowered to be upright but demand uprightness from others.”

According to him, “It is however important to emphasize that the membership of NCSC is just for the purpose of participating in annual competitions, it is an opportunity for you to make a positive difference in all aspects of life. “As NCSC members, you have the responsibility to assist in information flow on NAFDAC’s regulatory activities, and promote the fight against fake and counterfeit products.

“Programmes have been outlined to keep NCSC members active for the rest of the year. This would be posted on our website periodically. “We will also continue to strengthen your capacity through publications, newsletters and symposia among others, so as to ensure that you will indeed become change agents.” The Coordinator of NAFDAC in Anambra, Dr Christiana Esenwah, noted that NAFDAC would soon establish the NCSC club in additional 10 secondary schools in Anambra before the end of the year.

“These students are our foot soldiers within their schools, localities, neighbourhoods and immediate families and we want NAFDAC, its activities and regulation to be house hold names… “We encourage these students to be part of what we are doing by helping in our pharmacology-surveillance especially in Anambra; by reporting to any NAFDAC office or official anything that they find going wrong in their neighbourhoods on our regulated products,” Esenwah said.

The winner of NCSC Seniour Secondary Schools Competition for 2015 in the state was Master Victor Okechukwu from Federal Government College, Nise, assured that he would inculcate the NAFDAC message in other students in his school. “I would also join actively to fight against fake and counterfeit drugs and food products that have led to the death of many people in Anambra State,” he said.