It is not often that good news come from abroad concerning the impact Nigerians have made internationally. So the few moments when the positive exploits of Nigerians is recognized abroad calls not only for celebration among us as citizens but also provides a moment of reflection for us as a nation to take a look at the exploits of these bright stars and see how we can promote them as role models for Nigerians. This way, we are not only supporting our national rebirth but also working to actualize the transformation of our nation, just as encapsulated in the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Having said this, let me state without any fear of contradiction that there are few public servants who have done much in recent times to bring so much honour and glory to Nigeria like the current Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii has done. It might interest readers to know that within the last couple of months alone, Orhii has been the recipient of no less than three high profile international awards from no less a country than the United States of America for his successes and achievements in NAFDAC since he assumed the mantle as Director-General in 2009. The latest honour Orhii has brought to Nigeria is the one conferred on him by the Senate of the State of Georgia in the United States of America, which passed a resolution commending Orhii for his outstanding achievements in the use of cutting-edge technologies to fight drug counterfeiting.
The Georgia Senate resolution which was sponsored by Senator Donzella James was passed on 13th September 2013 in recognition and honour of Orhii for “his many outstanding achievements and contributions to the world”. Reading the Senate Citation at the ceremony, the Georgia Senate noted that the Director-General “has been recognized by numerous organizations for his leadership and professional excellence.”
While the US Senate has modestly not stated the number of awards the DG has garnered for his groundbreaking work at NAFDAC, let me state without being immodest that the awards are over forty, including a national award of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) bestowed on him by President Jonathan. Before the latest international award, the DG NAFDAC has been the recipient of two other high profile awards, the US Special Congressional Recognition for his global frontline role in the fight against drug counterfeiting and recognition by the US World Conference of Mayors, during which he was handed over the key to the City of District Heights, Maryland and named Honourary Citizen of the state in recognition of his pioneering and global leadership in the use of cutting-edge technologies to fight drug counterfeiting.
It is interesting to note that the international recognition Orhii has been getting is as a result of the success he has achieved back home through his laudable work at NAFDAC and for his effort in leading the global fight against drug counterfeiting. For example, the US Senate citation mentioning Orhii’s use of the latest technologies in fighting counterfeiting is a reference to the numerous cutting-edge technologies Orhii introduced and deployed in NAFDAC’s fight against drug counterfeiters. NAFDAC’s frequent deployment and use of technologies like the Truscan, Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID), Black Eye and Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) has helped immensely in arresting the menace of counterfeiting in Nigeria, earning Orhii the industry title of Digital Director-General.
In recognition of NAFDAC’s trailblazing efforts in the use of cutting-edge technologies to fight the incidence of counterfeiting, the United States Council of Foreign Relations had invited Orhii on more than four occasions to make submissions to it about NAFDAC success with the use of cutting-edge technologies in fighting drug counterfeiting.
The Agency’s success in the fight against drug counterfeiting was also recognized recently by no less a person as the Director-General of the WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan who revealed that there is a remarkable reduction in the incidence of counterfeit malaria drugs in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. It would be recalled that a survey carried out by the WHO on the Quality of Antimalarial Medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa (QAMSA) in 2008 shows a failure rate of 64%. However, Dr. Chan disclosed that the latest QAMSA study in 2011 revealed a marked reduction from the 64% failure rate to 20%. This figure tallies with the 19.6% failure rate of antimalarial drugs obtained by NAFDAC.
A National Survey on Quality of Medicines using Truscan shows that counterfeits in Nigeria stood at 6.4% in 2012.
Despite these improvements, NAFDAC has not relented and has continued with its campaign of zero tolerance to counterfeit medicines, coming up with a series of strategies to eradicate the menace completely from Nigeria. Part of these strategies is the effort by NAFDAC under Orhii to make Nigeria self-sufficient in the production of essential medicines through the WHO Prequalification it has been pursuing for Nigerian pharmaceutical industries.
NAFDAC under Orhii has also been working on a 200 billion naira pharmaceutical intervention fund with the Bank of Industry to provide pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria with soft loans that would enable them improve their infrastructures.
In addition to these, Orhii has also worked to ensure that NAFDAC not only enhance its enforcement efforts in arresting criminals but also strengthened the Agency’s legal team to ensure that offenders don’t go unpunished. This effort is complemented by the Agency’s drive to review the current NAFDAC laws that would provide stiffer penalties for offenders, including a life jail term for counterfeiters. It is heartwarming that the Nigerian judiciary has keyed into this objective as revealed by the recent Federal High Court judgment that sentenced two officials of the Barewa Pharmaceutical Company, the manufacturers of the deadly My Pikin teething mixture to 14 years jail term.
This landmark judgment is a first for Nigeria as what criminals get in the past is a mere slap on the wrist.As I stated at the beginning of this piece, Nigeria is in need of role models and the best way we can repay those who have distinguished themselves in their area of calling is by granting them the deserved recognition they have earned for the work they have been doing to make our country greater.
■Ralph Emmanuel writes from Abuja.
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