After almost a month of shutdown, the Onitsha Drug Market and other nearby markets have finally reopened, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, or NAFDAC.
Following a meeting between agency representatives, the Anambra State government, and market union leaders on Thursday, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, the agency’s South-East Zonal Director, made this announcement. According to him, the markets will formally reopen on Friday.
In its battle against illegal pharmaceuticals, the government closed down several markets early last month, including the scientific laboratory supplies market, the plumbing materials market, the timber market, and the surgical materials market.
Before declaring the reopening, Iluyomade spoke to market leaders and government representatives and said:
“We took the actions we did by closing down everywhere because what is happening here spreads beyond the Ogbogwu (drug) market and other markets in this area.
People were wondering why we locked other marketplaces that had nothing to do with drugs, and I know there was a lot of anxiety. We appeared to be trying to penalize people who weren’t involved. We discovered narcotics in every market we closed, but we chose not to reply because we did not want to become involved in any problems.
“We discovered just as much at Ogbogwu market as we did in other nearby markets. We took the actions we did because, had we not, we wouldn’t have covered the ground we were able to cover.
“We were here for an operation last year, but our soldiers were thrashed, and even a Federal Republic officer was stripped naked for carrying out his official duties. There would have been collateral damage if we hadn’t locked down everywhere. pharma supplies across the nation will be tainted if something goes wrong in this significant pharma industry.
Since the Federal Government was committed to cleaning up this market, we are aware that any attack on us would have triggered a reaction from our security personnel, causing significant harm. We appreciate Governor Soludo’s visit. He contacted to voice concerns about the well-being of his people after learning what we had done here, and after we gave him the rundown, he supported the market sanitization initiative. Later, when he came to see us, he reaffirmed his support for us as long as we were acting morally.
“Ethnic coloration was already being brought up, but I appreciate the governor not paying attention to them. The governor actually stated that we must protect ourselves as counterfeit medications kill people of all ethnicities.
“The DG of NAFDAC took this assignment as if her life depended on it, and every day she kept calling to know the state of operations. NAFDAC has also committed a lot of resources to this, and she has made a commitment to ensuring that fake drugs are exterminated in Nigeria.”
Speaking on the agency’s findings in the markets, the Zonal Director said:
“It is saddening to see that we have people among us whose only way of making money is by destabilizing the country and killing people.
“We have confiscated over 50 trailers of fake and substandard drugs. Many are still in warehouses in town, and we are coming after them. The volume of narcotics we saw here is enough to destabilize any nation. There is a link between the circulation of narcotics and insecurity. Check any country experiencing insecurity and a breakdown of law and order, and you will see that narcotics are in high supply.
“The number of narcotics we have found here is alarming. The people dealing in them know the effects, but they continue because the sale of narcotics is said to be more lucrative than cocaine.
“We have also seen people who deliberately import substandard and fake drugs. Some import tablets in nylon bags with no labels, then bring them here, repackage them, and put labels on them for sale. We saw a lot of it. We also found medicines that had been banned as far back as 2007, yet people are still stocking them.
“Many of these drugs were banned because they cause cancer, and new replacements were produced, but people still stock them. That is wickedness. Another category is unregistered drugs. These medicines are usually displayed in small quantities on counters, but large caches of them are stored in warehouses outside the market.”
Iluyomade noted that even some genuine drugs are stored in ways that cause them to lose their efficacy and become harmful long before their expiration date.
“Drug storage is also a problem. There is no ventilation in any of the storage facilities we visited. Medicines are supposed to be kept under specific conditions to maintain their effectiveness. Medicines are chemicals, and even those selling registered original medicines have had them expire long before their expiry dates.
“All the storage facilities are packed to the brim, locked with the biggest padlocks, and left without ventilation. We found a drug for women in labor stored in the plumbing materials market. The warehouse was full and hot, yet the drug’s packaging specified that it should be stored between 2-8 degrees centigrade. But someone stored it in an oven-like environment. So when people say, ‘What about those of us selling good medicine?’ we just laugh. What good medicine are you selling?
“We must take our healthcare delivery seriously, and that is what NAFDAC is doing. As an agency, we are not out to make life difficult for you, but we are working with the mandate given to us.
“We have pasted notices on some shops, and those who find them must know they have been invited and must report to our office. The markets will be reopened tomorrow. We have met with your union leaders, and they must ensure they report any suspicious activity to us.
“If this happens again, we will still close the market. Also, we will not tolerate any attack on our officials. If it happens again, we will shut down the market.”
Iluyomade stated that although the market will reopen on Friday, about 4,000 shops will remain locked until their owners explain certain drugs found inside.
Market union leaders expressed happiness about the reopening of the markets and pledged to work with the agency to identify traders who continue to deal in illegal drugs.