The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, has revealed that about 70 percent of drugs consumed in Nigeria are imported, warning that the heavy reliance on foreign sources poses a serious national security risk.
Sanusi further disclosed that over 80 percent of the imported drugs come from India, describing the situation as dangerous and unsustainable for the country.
He made the remarks while delivering a keynote address at a conference organised by the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria in Lagos, themed “Reimagining Nigeria’s Health Security: Local Production, Economic Sovereignty & Strategic Partnership.”
According to a statement made available on Friday, the Emir called on the Federal Government to urgently invest in local pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and create policies that encourage domestic drug production.
He said local production would not only strengthen Nigeria’s health security, but also boost the economy, job creation and social development.
“Seventy percent of the drugs used in Nigeria are imported, with about 82 percent of those imports coming from a single source — India.
This concentration is bad news for national security. I call for urgent political engagement to establish local plants so the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria can become self-sufficient and strengthen the domestic supply chain,” Sanusi said