Posted by By JOE EFFIONG, Uyo on
The Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Akwa Ibom State, Captain Iniobong Ekong (retd), has raised an alarm that 80 per cent of drugs in the local government areas in Nigeria are fake.
• Go to rural areas and fight fake drugs -LG chief
The Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Akwa Ibom State, Captain Iniobong Ekong (retd), has raised an alarm that 80 per cent of drugs in the local government areas in Nigeria are fake.
Ekong, speaking with Daily Sun in Uyo, lamented that many people die of minor ailments in the rural areas because almost all the drugs administered on them by untrained patent medicine dealers had either expired or were outright fake.
The ALCON boss, who is the Transition Committee Chairman of Nist Ubium Local Government Area of the state, explained that it was due to the pitiable health care system existing at the grassroots that his council spent much on the upgrading of drugs dispensing centres and in the purchase of quality drugs for the people.
"I believe that NAFDAC should beam its searchlight on the local government areas because the people there are suffering in ignorance. The persons selling the drugs do not know what they are selling and those buying do not know that they are buying poison. They go to buy red and yellow capsules from the person who had been selling drugs since the civil war and they don't know that what they are buying is fake."
Ekong said while he would support giving more funds to the local government councils, he would equally advocate the institution of more credible checks on councils' expenditure through proper auditing.
According to him, even if more funds are pumped into the councils there would commensurate development unless the managers of the system resolve to change and implement people-oriented programmes.
He also advocated a uniform local government administration in all the states of the federation.
"At the moment, what we have here in Akwa Ibom may be different from Cross River. Everybody should know what to expect from the councils in terms of tenure, administration and organogram in all the local government councils in Nigeria," Ekong emphasized.