COVID-19: We are mobilising relevant agencies to speed up certification of essential items – Adebayo

Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment,  Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo has said the ministry is currently mobilising the National Agency For Food And Drug Administration (NAFDAC) and the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), to speed up certification procedures for essential items needed by Nigerians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Julius Toba-Jegede, in Abuja on Monday.

Adebayo assured that the emergency effort by his ministry would not affect the quality of the products, currently in high demands.
He said that in collaboration with the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the two organizations would also help identify and augment the list of essential goods and services.

He listed the items to include: hand sanitizers, face masks, needles, goggles, gloves, Sodium Hypo Chloride and Digital Thermometers.

He added that the ministry is also engaging some indigenous car manufacturers on the production of ‘Made in Nigeria’ ventilators.
“As we brace ourselves to respond effectively and thoroughly to this crisis, we have been engaging with the Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and NCDC to identify and augment the list of essential goods and services.

“We are working with SON and NAFDAC to ensure the acceleration of the issuance of certificates of standards of essential items- without sacrificing the quality of these items.
“We are also engaging our indigenous car manufacturers at this time to prepare themselves to tweak their operations to begin the manufacture of ‘Made in Nigeria’ ventilators- a critical medical equipment in the fight against the virus,” he said.

He informed that the ministry had also established an Emergency Operation Center, to help monitor the real-time status of the transportation and delivery of essential goods to Nigerians.

He said the move would “cut down on the difficulties currently being faced by manufacturers, transporters and distributors of essential commodities across the country”
He further urged Nigerians to remain calm and desist from panic buying, assuring that the pandemic would soon end.