The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has inaugurated 73 new HILUX vehicles, saloon cars and staff buses to enhance operational efficiency.
This is contained in a statement by the agency’s resident media consultant, Mr Olusayo Akintola, in Abuja on Sunday.
The statement quoted the agency Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, as saying that the vehicles would address many challenges faced by agency in its operations.
She said that it would put a stop to the compromising situation where clients brings their vehicles in a ferry to the agency staff or site for inspection.
According to her, it is not encouraging when staff of the agency depends on their clients to transport them to the factory for inspection.
She explained that 20 Toyota Camry 2021 brand for some directors were inaugurated in Abuja, while 10 number 60- Seater Coaster and Hummer buses were inaugurated at its Oshodi office complex.
Adeyeye said that 43 Hilux vans were also inaugurated at the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Apapa to enhance the enforcement, inspection and regulatory activities.
She said that four Coaster buses and the six Toyota Hiace buses inaugurated in Oshodi would serve as staff buses to make life more comfortable for the workers in their day-to-day commuting to and from office.
She pointed out that the welfare of staff of the agency was one of priority, adding that the agency staff deserved the best.
Adeyeye recalled that she met a total debt of N3.2 billion when she resumed as the agency D-G about four years ago, adding that the debt was paid back barely a year after she took over.
‘’The money we saved is the money we use for what we need and not what we want, adding that when money are spent on all wants, the nation suffers the consequences.
‘’That is why we started saving money despite the fact that I met N3.2 billion debt. And within one year we paid N3.01billion.
“The agency is going through its World Health Organization (WHO) audit now, and it’s being judged on seven regulatory functions or a group of activities.
‘’There is one big area called regulatory inspection. This includes visiting companies to see whether they are compliant with their Good Manufacturing Practices.
“It is vehicles that will take our staff there, regulatory inspection includes good distribution practice, meaning all the distributors that handle NAFDAC regulated products have to be visited,” she said.
She added that officials of the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate would also be making use of vehicles to pursue peddlers of contraband goods.
Adeyeye said that each state needs to have at least three Hilux vehicles, adding that the new vehicles would be used by officials of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate.
The directorate is saddled with the responsibility of food inspections and others.
According to her, about 70 per cent of NAFDAC work are field work, and that it is vehicles that they need to use.