Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Stella Okoli, has called on all Nigerians to work together in combating the rising problem of drug abuse among our youths.
Speaking at a press conference held at the company’s head office in Lagos, on Sunday, Dr Okoli said: “We must all come together to work in harmony, in love, in unity to collectively campaign against this social problem”.
Emzor and two other companies, Standard Pharmaceutical Limited and Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited, were shut down by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) after a recent BBC documentary titled Sweet Sweet Codeine.
Reps of the company were caught selling drugs containing the addictive codeine in a sting operation recorded by BBC reporters.
The shutdown order on the pharmaceutical companies has since been lifted.
According to Okoli, Emzor has been working to support Nigerian youths through the Emzor Wellness Foundation and the Chike Okoli Foundation which was established more than 12 years ago to promote healthy lifestyles and entrepreneurship among the youths.
The foundation, she said, has since trained, influenced and touched the lives of millions of youths, many of whom have graduated from the foundation’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies and are now running their own businesses.
“Our vision is to make unlimited wellness available to all and affordable by all. We call it Emzor Wellocracy, and as I welcome you here, it is our hope and belief that you shall leave here as wellocrats, helping us spread the message of unlimited wellness to all our people” she said.
Okoli also reaffirmed the company’s commitment to maintaining good manufacturing practice, stating that the company’s track record and wide acceptance among Nigerians is based on commitment to upholding the highest professional standards in pharmaceuticals.
Also speaking at the press conference, the company’s executive director, Uzoma Ezeoke, explained that Emzor’s factories all have current certificates of good manufacturing practice, attesting to the company’s full compliance with regulatory guidelines.
She also revealed that the company’s new ultra-modern factory, which is built to WHO standards is almost ready and will be commissioned soon.
