Paul Orhii’s Giant Strides As NAFDAC Boss

Recently, petitions by some elements, who want the hardworking Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control, NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii sacked from the enviable position, have been syndicated on social media.

The petitions, which were said to have been full of lies and calculated attempt to thwart the good effort of the Benue State-born man, who has repositioned NAFDAC to an enviable height in Global rating, were aimed at denting the image of Dr Orhii before the presidency.

In this new era of change, a lot of vested interest are at work, with petitions flying left, right and centre, whether most of these allegations are factual, real or imagined, the Pertinent question with regards to this purported corruption at NAFDAC is the achievements recorded by the Orhii administration.

Miffed by these series of petitions from ‘bad belle people’, his aides were consulted to state more of his crime but it was shocking to know that even the ‘almighty’ late Dora Nkem Akunyili, who started the journey of ‘New NAFDAC, would been thumbed up Dr Paul Orhii-led administration for a job well-done.

As a professional, he ensured the Mobile Authentication Service MAS, WHO pre-qualification for four Nigerian pharmaceutical companies that enable them to sell their products globally.

The TRUSCAN, a device that can detect fake drugs on the spot, the introduction of mini-labs test kits and Infrastructural developments which led to the International Accreditation of NAFDAC lab (the 1st of such in West Africa).

Under the leadership of Orhii, NAFDAC has also initiated the review of its law to make them more stringent so as to deter counterfeiters (life jail term and confiscation of assets on conviction).

The water re-certification exercise is a coordinated war against unregistered and poorly packaged water using a mobile laboratory to test water on factory premises.

In the last two years, NAFDAC has seized and destroyed fake drugs and other counterfeit products running into billions of naira at Kano, Onitsha, Enugu, Osun, Abuja and Lagos States. Food has also initiated the compulsory food fortification campaign to combat dangers of hidden hunger.

Several counterfeiters have been arrested and trials are on-going in the courts. From several innovations introduced by Orhii, NAFDAC now belongs to the elite group of the top 18 regulatory agencies in the world.

The chairman of the NAFDAC’s Workers’ Union, Isa Ibrahim, at the press conference accused Mogbojuri of demanding bribe before releasing approved monies for projects and the day-to-day running of the agency while also allegedly refusing to pay workers their entitlements on time.

Ibrahim said, “On numerous occasions the DG would approve funds to carry out some projects but the directorate of finance, rather than honour the approval, would tell us there is no money.

The director in question was transferred recently to another section but he refused to go. He does not obey or regard the DG or any constituted authority. Nobody should be bigger than NAFDAC. It is an act of insubordination that we must not allow to continue.

“We have been experiencing anarchy and impunity from that director over the years. He messed up the entire place and we are happy and stand by the DG for finally getting him out of the finance department.”

NAFDAC Director of Account and Finance redeployed after five years as DAF, Why are petitions flying around after he was redeployed? Why the silence for five years?

While allegations should not be waved away, it sounds like one coming from an aggrieved man, it seems this Director of Finance who claims to have refused to play the corrupt ball has been at the position for some time now and must have paid these monies claimed, why now?

Must it take his supposed transfer to blow the lid? NAFDAC is a very important organisation in Nigeria, safeguarding public health and the right hands must be on deck for this mission to be accomplished.

Orhii, an accomplished technocrat in his own right has done well at the agency.