Flood: Borno begins palliatives sharing, NAFDAC clears N5bn spoilt drugs
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, on Tuesday, officially launched the distribution of relief materials to victims of the Maiduguri flood, which had impacted nearly two million people.
The flood, caused by an overflow from Alau Dam, inflicted severe damage on homes and infrastructure, prompting the state government to deploy a rapid-response team to assess and address the destruction in phases.
The state government has got at least N17bn in monetary donations and pledges.
The governor, while launching the programme in Maiduguri, said that the relief materials’ distribution would begin with about 5,235 households in Gwange 1, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council.
According to Zulum, 587 of these households saw their homes completely destroyed, while 2,365 suffered minimal damage and 2,283 were partially affected.
The governor said houeholds that experienced minimal damage would receive N100,000, along with essential items, such as rice, beans, mats, blankets, and mosquito nets.
He said those with severe losses would receive compensation proportional to the extent of the destruction.
Zulum expressed gratitude to the Federal Government, state governments, UN agencies, development partners, and individuals for their support in responding to the disaster.
Meanwhile, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has conducted a comprehensive mop-up operation across various markets in Maiduguri, Borno State.
NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, noted in a statement on Tuesday that the mop-up operation took place at the Gamboru drug and food market, Monday market, Open air-theatre drug market, and the Gwange drug market.
This initiative was aimed at removing drugs and food items contaminated by recent floodwaters to prevent their re-introduction into sales as part of NAFDAC’s market control strategy, thereby preventing possible outbreaks of diseases.
After the recent flooding in Maiduguri that submerged the Gomboru drug market where contaminated drugs were washed and sun-dried for resale, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola, ordered the immediate closure of the market to conduct a thorough shop-to-shop removal of the compromised drugs.
The Director, NAFDAC in the North-East, Kenneth Azikiwe, said, “The recent floods have posed a significant risk to public health by contaminating food and drug supplies. Our swift action in these markets is crucial to ensure that only safe and uncontaminated products are available to the public.”
The statement added that the compromised items were valued at over N5bn.
“During the operation, directed by the Director General, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, officials drawn from Borno, Yobe, Gombe and the NAFDAC area laboratory meticulously inspected and removed all compromised items (food and drugs) valued at over N5bn. The agency also provided guidelines to market vendors and the public on how to identify and handle potentially contaminated products in the future.
“Furthermore, all manufacturing facilities engaged in the production of regulated products located within the flood-affected areas have been closed down to allow for good manufacturing practices reassessment before production will begin again.
“NAFDAC will continue with the surveillance and monitoring to cover all parts of the Maiduguri metropolis not covered in this operation. NAFDAC remains committed to safeguarding the health of Nigerians by ensuring that all food and drug products meet the highest standards of safety and quality. Through rigorous inspections, testing, and public education, NAFDAC works to protect the health and well-being of all Nigerians. The agency urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious or compromised products to the nearest NAFDAC office,” it added.
