As a Professional Member of the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), United States, Erumusele Onotole, a supply chain management specialist with over 20 years of experience, leads a revolutionary vision to improve Nigeria’s food and pharmaceutical industries through creative logistics solutions. Erumusele’s qualifications put him at the forefront of promoting contemporary technology to guarantee the effectiveness and safety of vital supply chains. His work spans various industries, including manufacturing, consulting, and academia, and he has extensive expertise in risk management, analytics, data privacy, and compliance. Erumusele, a co-author of supply chain, risk management, and analytics research, defines the future of logistics in Nigeria, especially in the war against unsafe food storage and counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

In the face of the Nigerian government’s decisive actions to combat the growing prevalence of counterfeit drugs, such as the closure of markets in Onitsha and Lagos’ Idumota and the recent proposals by NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) under Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye for severe penalties, Erumusele is proposing groundbreaking solutions. His vision centers on blockchain technology and QR code integration, which can bring unprecedented transparency and accountability to the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Integrating blockchain into the supply chain enables real-time tracking of pharmaceutical products from the point of origin to the end consumer. This makes it easier to verify that all medications delivered to Nigerian hospitals and stores are safe for consumption. It would also shield the public’s health from the persistent problem of fake medications by enabling hospitals, distributors, and the public to verify the authenticity and contents of pharmaceutical products.

Erumusele’s solution also recognizes the importance of building infrastructure for cold chain storage to facilitate easy access to temperature-sensitive items, such as fresh food and medicines. The construction of cold storage facilities, like the recently completed pharma-grade warehouse in Kaduna, within each of Nigeria’s 36 states would help significantly preserve pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. These cold chain systems would mitigate the loss of quality of products by ensuring that they are stored and transported within the set optimal conditions.

The proprietary cold chain envisioned by Erumusele would cater to the entire supply chain and the goods in motion, using IoT sensors that continuously monitor the pharmaceutical and fresh produce logistics process. Especially in areas with efficient agricultural productivity like Edo, Niger, and Benue states, is mitigated by effective preservation techniques of food, which enhances both storage food safety and security. With the Nigerian food security system increasingly strained by off-season rationing and costly food prices, the suggested cold storage facilities will also stock agricultural products, ensuring availability during off-season periods. They will assist local farmers with mitigating food losses by enabling the transportation of freshly harvested vegetables and fruits to consumers in optimal conditions. By building more than 1,750,000+ square feet of cold chain infrastructure, Nigeria will strengthen its pharmaceutical supply system and make agricultural food distribution more effective and enduring.

Erumusele’s approach consists of building modern cold storage in every state of the Federation with outlines peripheral to local government zones controlled by NAFDAC and government supervisors. This proposal will enable NAFDAC to maintain and examine all imported medication under one market so that all pharmaceuticals brought in will be safe for consumers. The introduction of blockchain, in combination with the cold chain, will solve the national supply chain problems in a transparent, secure, and efficient way, from the manufacturer to the consumer or from production to the end user. “From man to mouth” means traces must be followed within the supply chain. Each pharmaceutical product and foodstuff must be safe from production to consumption. The merging of blockchain and the Internet of Things with cold chain infrastructure will not only tackle the immediate challenges of counterfeit medicines and unsafe foods but will also build a platform upon which Nigeria’s economic development rests by nurturing technological advancement, increasing food security, and boosting public health standards.

Erumusele’s perspective gives Nigeria a path that will guarantee the protection of all its citizens and make it one of Africa’s most inventive supply chain nations.