BY BONNY AMADI
Following the closure of Onitsha Drug market in Anambra state, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced that it destroyed dangerous drugs worth N1trillion.
The drugs were confiscated in Anambra and Abia states, while the destruction took place at the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA) dumpsite in Awka, Awka South Local Council of Anambra State.
It was noted that they were taken from the Aba and Onitsha drug markets, where the seizure of several unregistered, expired, regulated, and falsified drugs, including Tramadol and Analgin, was carried out.
This development was confirmed by the Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Zonal Director of Operations, Southeast, Dr. Martin Iluyomade.
According to her, the exercise was in line with the agency’s mandate of eradicating fake and spurious regulated products and stopping them from circulating in the country.
“The drugs were seized through the diligent efforts of regulatory and enforcement officers in the zone, who worked tirelessly to mop up and confiscate the products within one month of raids in the markets.
“We, as an agency, have come to realise that the time has come to put an end once and for all to the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines in Nigeria. We are working in such a way that Nigerians can go to bed and sleep, knowing that whatever medicine is available is safe, certified, and effective,” she said.
The Director-General of NAFDAC appealed to the public to join NAFDAC in the fight against counterfeit, fake drugs, and other regulated products by reporting unscrupulous individuals who engage in illicit practices for.
It was reported on March 25 that traders at the Ogbo Ogwu Bridgehead Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, took to the streets on Tuesday to protest the prolonged closure of their shops by NAFDAC.
The aggrieved traders also rejected the alleged N2million fine imposed by NAFDAC for the reopening of shops at the market.
The market has remained closed for two months, reportedly resulting in economic hardship, financial burdens, and reported deaths among traders.
Under the banner of the Concerned and Genuine Members of Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market, the aggrieved traders decried what they described as the continued lockdown.
Some affected traders, including one Prince Friday Osisi and one Stephen Enebo, further alleged that NAFDAC confiscated high-quality drugs manufactured by multinational pharmaceutical companies from the USA, Germany, Turkey, and Pakistan.
They dismissed NAFDAC’s claims of fake and substandard drugs as “malicious lies” aimed at tarnishing the market’s reputation.
The traders demanded a high-powered investigative panel to examine the confiscated drugs and NAFDAC’s actions, the immediate and unconditional reopening of the market, prosecution of individuals found in possession of fake or substandard drugs, and the removal of the current caretaker committee led by Chukwuelota, citing inefficiency in representing the traders’ interests.
They also passed a vote of no confidence on the caretaker committee chairman and his executive, calling for their immediate resignation.
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