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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has at last succumbed to pressures and agreed to reopen the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, barely a month after its closure to mop up fake and counterfeit drugs.
South-East Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Dr Martins Iluyomade, who disclosed this after a brief meeting with the state government officials led by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Ben Obidike, as well as the market leaders at the market premises on Thursday, said the market would be reopened following the persistent intervention from the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
Iluyomade noted that based on the agreement signed by the state government and the market leaders with NAFDAC not to go back to the sale of fake, expired and substandard products in the market, NAFDAC now agreed to reopen it officially on Friday.
He commended Governor Soludo for his continuous support in the fight against fake and expired drugs in Anambra State and the country at large and urged the traders to only sell standard and registered drugs henceforth.
According to Iluyomade, “During the enforcement exercise that lasted for over three weeks, the agency under my watch uncovered a 50-trailer load of fake and expired drugs, a large volume of narcotics capable of destabilising the country, and also a large number of drugs banned since 2007.”
“The reopening of the market will not stop the continuous enforcement exercise. A total of 4,000 shops have been sealed for various offences, and they will be reopened after a proper profiling.”
“The confiscated fake and expired drugs are worth no less than N1 trillion. We commend the leadership of the market for working with the agency throughout the period of the operations.”
In his brief remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Obidike, while appreciating the agency on behalf of the governor, urged the traders to respect the NAFDAC agreement by sticking to the regulation’s standard.
