By Samuel Oyejola
The last time the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had a female Director General was in 2001 when the late Prof. Dora Akunyili was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Prior to Akunyili’s appointment, foods were unsafe, counterfeit drugs were sold freely across the country. While malaria, tuberculosis raved children and women across the country anti-malaria were killer drugs. Packaged foods were unsafe.
As a pharmacist and a pharmacologist she stepped in and took the challenge even at the expense of her life and family.
Akunyili was the last Pharmacist to occupy the position as NAFDAC DG. By the time she left, was the last time a pharmacist and pharmacologist would head the agency. Although, series of cutting-edge technologies were introduced by her successors, to some reasonable extent, the agency leaved up to expectations, fake drugs were reduced in circulation, prosecutions and conviction were equally gotten, but the fact remains that fake drugs were not eliminated in the markets, for this singular reason Nigerians are craving for another square peg in a square hole.
Now that another woman has stepped into the block, the hope is high and the government expects sanctity and safe drugs and packaged food for Nigerians.
Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, the new Director General of NAFDAC is a Pharmacist. Until her appointment, she is the President of Elim Pediatric Pharmaceuticals, a global contract research organization that focuses on pharmaceutical research as well as the adaptive formulation, development, and manufacturing of drugs and orphan drug products for all ages, particularly pediatric populations.
She has over thirty years in quality drug development, adaptive formulation, clinical trials and associated regulatory requirements. Adeyeye is a fellow of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the Nigerian National Academy of Science.
Through Duquesne University where she worked for many years, Prof. Adeyeye developed anti-retroviral (HIV/AIDS) pediatric fixed dose combination and received intellectual property on the formulations in UK and South Africa.
The new NAFDAC DG is an expert in translational clinical research who has successfully filed investigational new drug application and she is familiar with filling new drug application.
As the Chair of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Professor of Pharmaceutics and drug product Development at the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy Prof. Adeyeye provided evidence based leadership in biopharmaceutical sciences department of the College. She also served as a member of the Board of trustee Roosevelt Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2017.
Adeyeye comes with a whole lot of international connections needed to battle counterfeiting drugs importation which is reemerging as a new occurrence.
At a time when the Financial Advisory Leader and Chief Economist of Project Blue PWC Nigeria Andrew Nevin said that 70% of pharmaceutical products in circulation in Nigeria are fake, although the agency refuted this saying the percentage of fake drugs in circulation is less than5%, Adeyeye has little time to entertain friends and well-wishers who would file to her office to offer felicitation on her new assignment.
No matter the percentage of counterfeit drugs in circulation, the health of Nigerians is in the hands of Mojisola Adeyeye. It is expected that she would build on the successes of the late Dora Akunyili and the immediate past DG, Dr Paul Orhi. Nigerians expect her international exposure to improve the production of essential drugs in the country.
