Agency report
The Federal Government has announced that N8 billion has been budgeted for campaigns and advocacies against the continuous vandalisation of power infrastructure across the country.
This disclosure was made by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu on Thursday, January 23, 2025.
Addressing the outrage over some of the ministry’s line budget, Adelabu said himself and his team are committed to delivering stable power supply and ending vandalism which affects every Nigerian individual and organisation.
He said that the Ministry of Power has been focused on improving the transmission and distribution of electricity across the country.
Clarifying the allocation of funds in the 2025 budget for the ministry, Adelabu said the controversial N8 billion has been earmarked for advocacy against vandalism, education, enlightenment, and deploying technology to safeguard power infrastructure – not for sensitising citizens to pay electricity bills.
In a statement issued by Bolani Tunji, the minister’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Adelabu said the fund will cover for a comprehensive campaign across all the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
He said, “Our advocacy will include town hall meetings, engagement with community leaders and stakeholders, and the use of various media platforms—radio, television, newspapers, social media, and billboards.”
“The goal is to educate Nigerians on the implications of vandalism and encourage them to see power infrastructure as community assets,” the minister said.
The fund, according to the minister, will also cover the incorporation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in communities hosting power installations.
It will also aid in the engagement of local hunters and security personnel to protect infrastructure, among others.
NAFDAC destroys substandard products worth N1.37 billion in Abuja
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Thursday destroyed substandard and falsified goods estimated at N1, 367 billion in Abuja.
Speaking during the exercise, the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said that the exercise was part of the agency’s routine operations across the zones of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Mrs. Adeyeye, represented by a Director in the DG’s office, Festus Ukadike, said that the goal was to rid the country of some of the agency’s regulated goods that are of low quality in the supply chain.
She said that in 2024, the agency achieved remarkable progress, making substantial seizures that underscored its commitment to safeguarding public health.
She stated, “We carried out several destruction exercises across the zones, including investigation and enforcement. Our relentless pursuit of justice against counterfeiting cartels has resulted in the seizure of over 6,000 bags of re-bagged rice in the FCT alone. These deceitful cartels aim to exploit and harm the unsuspecting Nigerian populace for economic gain.’’
Mrs Adeyeye further said that NAFDAC had zero tolerance for such activities, adding that it had initiated a thorough investigation to ensure that those involved face appropriate sanctions.
She noted, “Some of the goods to be destroyed are psychoactive and controlled substances, antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarials, herbal snuff, and herbal remedies, including drugs seized from hawkers. We also have food products such as cookies vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, and items from supermarkets with labelling only in foreign languages, lacking English translation.’’
She said that there were also cosmetics products, chemicals and expired and unwholesome products voluntarily submitted for destruction by non-governmental organisations and the Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria.
Mrs Adeyeye added that NAFDAC had significantly ramped up its post-marketing surveillance and enforcement activities to checkmate the threats posed by counterfeit medicines and foods to national security.
She said that the agency was proactively engaging political, traditional, faith-based organisations and institutions, journalists and the public to galvanise support in the fight against substandard and falsified products.
The FCT Coordinator, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Gamagira Mohammed, commended NAFDAC for its determination to rid the country of fake and substandard goods and medicine.
He said that SON would continue to strengthen collaboration with NAFDAC to ensure that standards were enshrined in Nigerian culture.
Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Abuja branch, Salary Orakwelu, also commended NAFDAC, saying that the ultimate goal of food regulatory agencies was to take care of consumers. NAN
