A Professor of Medical Sociology at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, EKSU, Professor Christopher Oluwadare, has advocated the death penalty for all confirmed importers, manufacturers, and agents of counterfeited medicine and drugs.
He made the remarks while delivering the 93rd Inaugural Lecture of the University, entitled, “What Is Really Wrong With You? I Don’t Know! A Sociological Diagnosis Without End.”
Prof Oluwadare, who declared that the menace of imported or locally made fake medicine is more serious than Boko Haram and ISWAP, avowed that the “penalty for culprits of counterfeit medicines should be death sentence.”
He further called on governments at all levels to honour the freely signed international agreement of 2001 by committing at least 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector.
According to him: “The umbrella recommendation which speaks about the national integrity and the global status of Nigeria as a nation that does not obey international treaties, obligations and conventions is the inability of Federal Government to implement the minimum of 15 per cent annual budgetary allocation to health agreed to with other African Heads of State since 2001.
“Until this is done, Nigeria will only be giving political lip service to prioritising the wellbeing, healthiness and survival of her citizens.”
