Medical professionals and policy analysts have weighed in on President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive, which prohibits the importation of some medicaments like paracetamol, putting the domestic pharmaceutical sector in charge of the nation’s primary healthcare supply.
Recall that the federal government has prohibited the import of common medicinal items such as paracetamol tablets and syrups, metronidazole, cotrimoxazole, and chloroquine.
It also prohibited the importation of commonly used health items such as multivitamin capsules, aspirin, folic acid, and different ointments containing penicillin and gentamicin.
Following the Federal Government’s directive, WITHIN NIGERIA contacted medical experts and policy analysts, as well as social commentators, who stated their worries.
In a phone interview with WITHIN NIGERIA, Adedapo Adetoye, a medical doctor, praised the federal government and described the decision as the right step.
Adetoye stated that the Federal Government is limiting the procurement of certain pharmaceuticals to indigenous manufacturers based on confirmed manufacturing capacity.
Speaking on the rationale behind the move, Dr. Adetoye stated that the government had most likely determined that local pharmaceutical firms in the country already have the capacity to make the shortlisted pharmaceuticals.
“You will see they are limited, they are just a few drugs that they think can be produced within the country, and that is the right way to go”, he said.
“If we want to have a very reliable source of our drugs and we want to be in control, it will make it cheaper that way.”
He cited India as a blueprint for Nigeria’s ambitions.
“In that country, most of the time when we discuss, what they will tell you is: ‘these are the options but we don’t use these because they are not produced in India.’ I hope one day Nigeria will get there too, where we will be able to say ‘this is not produced in Nigeria, we have this, this and this.’”
Dr Adetoye argued the policy would encourage local manufacturing, strengthen the economy, and reduce dependence on imports.
“That’s the only way we can grow the nation as a whole, if we are not going to be selfish as citizens,”he added.
While linking citizen behavior to future leadership, he argued that a citizen today will become a leader tomorrow, so if you don’t learn the ropes and learn how things are done, it may be difficult.
Titus Adejoorin, another medical doctor, described his attitude as “concern combined with cautious mixed reactions.”
Adejoorin, although welcoming the directive as a means of increasing local pharmaceutical production, expressed caution that it may be harmful in the absence of a strict policy and cushioning measures.
Adejoorin, who stated that Nigeria now fulfills only 30 to 40% of its national drug demand through domestic manufacture, suggested that the abrupt withdrawal of imported alternatives could create a supply gap that local enterprises cannot immediately cover.
“In more stable environments, this might be a significant advance for the pharmaceutical industry. It could spur investment and growth, resulting in lower-cost drugs in the long run,” Adejoorin said.
However, he warned that Nigeria’s existing quality control gaps could have the opposite effect.
“Without adequate regulatory mechanisms, this has created a better market for counterfeit producers. It becomes a bribery opportunity for those who should spearhead quality control.”
“We should be looking at adverse effects such as drug shortages and the inability of local manufacturers to meet the huge vacuum left by foreign suppliers,” Adejoorin said.
“We’ll see shortages of essential medications, leading to increased morbidity and mortality,” Adejoorin warned.
“There will definitely be an increase in prices of the drugs already in circulation. Limited supply often leads to inflated prices, making medications unaffordable for many Nigerians, especially the most vulnerable.”
“Quality is the other major concern. Without strict oversight and upgraded lab capacity at NAFDAC, substandard or falsified drugs could enter the supply chain to meet demand”, he warned.
While supporting the goal of self-reliance, Adejoorin urged the PBAT administration to revise the execution.
“The government needs to provide significant support to local manufacturers, ensure strict quality control measures, and implement the ban gradually to avoid major disruptions to the healthcare system,” he said.
He also recommended steps including tax breaks and single-digit loans for local pharma firms, zero duty on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, expansion of NAFDAC’s testing capacity, and a phased ban that starts only with drugs where multiple WHO-GMP certified local producers exist.
In an interview with WITHIN NIGERIA, public health specialist Dr. Sunday Charles Adeyemo supported the Federal Government’s restriction on common pharmaceutical imports but cautioned that smuggling and lax oversight could undermine gains.
Adeyemo described domestic manufacture as “conventionally the right decision” for medication security, employment creation, and foreign exchange savings.
He noted export opportunities to Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, as well as cassava-based glucose for paracetamol, as agro-industrial successes.
Adeyemo outlined four prerequisites: border security to prevent rice-and-turkey smuggling, pricing supervision, better anti-counterfeit enforcement, and infrastructure improvements.
Adeyemo, responding to Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate’s demand for local production as the guaranteed road to medication security, stated that execution will determine whether this is policy or “food for the boys.”
Adeyemo also supported the policy shift for medicines security, jobs, and export potential but flags four implementation risks: border porosity, price exploitation, substandard drugs, and infrastructure costs.
Wale Bolorunduro, a policy expert, has called for more local manufacturing of basic medications in Nigeria.
Bolorunduro told WITHIN NIGERIA that the country has the potential to create them with NAFDAC’s quality assurance and regulatory monitoring.
According to Bolunduro, the proposal’s principal goal is to stimulate local manufacturing while reducing strain on foreign exchange reserves.
He described the concept as “welcoming” because the pharmaceuticals in question are already widely used and easily manufactured domestically.
Bolunduro also encouraged authorities to “ban all these synthetic igbo,” which refers to synthetic cannabis, and instead implement a regulatory scheme similar to Canada’s.
He argued that encouraging local therapeutic use and restricted production of plants under rigorous government monitoring would be extremely beneficial.
Public affairs analyst Taiwo Adediran described the development as “welcome,” arguing that decades of importing basic goods like toothpicks and ballpoint pens have crippled local manufacturing and left Nigeria exposed to foreign exchange shocks.
If fully implemented, Adediran noted, the restrictions could shield domestic industries, create jobs, leverage Nigeria’s comparative advantages, and reduce pressure on the Naira by cutting demand for foreign currency on non-essential imports.
He cautioned that self-reliance and Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s manufacturing hub depend on giving local producers room to compete.
“That requires consistent policy implementation, key infrastructure such as power and transport, and accessible raw materials”.
“Without measures that put local industry at an advantage, this ban will remain on paper and our dream, a mirage,” Adediran said.
