The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has warned against politicising its ongoing enforcement operations in parts of the country.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who stated this on Saturday in Lagos, noted that the operations were aimed at protecting Nigerians and not to disrupt people’s trade.
Her statement was apparently in response to statement obviously aimed at the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, who had earlier in the week accused NAFDAC of disrupting trade and businesses in Onitsha with ongoing nationwide enforcement operation targeting Lagos, Aba, and Onitsha open drug markets.
Obi further accused NAFDAC of putting businesses in jeopardy by closing sections of Onitsha bridge market not involved in trade in medicine.
But, the NAFDAC’s boss warned: “What we are doing in Lagos, Aba, and Onitsha should not be politicised. We are protecting lives, not destroying trade. We cannot prioritise trade over human lives.
These operations will continue to ensure public safety,” she added.
Adeyeye stressed that NAFDAC supports trade and has a dedicated trade and international relations office, but not at the expense of Nigerian lives.
It would be recalled that NAFDAC had earlier indicated that it uncovered prohibited drugs hidden inside plumbing materials shops at the Onitsha Bridgehead Drug Market.
NAFDA officials seized two trailer loads of unregistered narcotics, banned tramadol, and counterfeit drugs concealed within the shops.
Drugs such as Tafrodol, Tramadol, and Anagin, which are banned and unregistered in Nigeria, were discovered in sealed warehouses and shops.
She revealed that antiretroviral drugs donated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for HIV patients were found at Idumota market, alongside expired condoms.
She added that Anagin that had been banned before her tenure as NAFDAC DG, along with many fake and substandard drugs, was seized.
“Vaccines were stored in unventilated buildings instead of refrigerators, and expired Amlodipine for blood pressure was being revalidated for sale.
“Vaccines not meant for storage outside refrigerators were found. Controlled substances and condoms due for destruction since 2022 were also discovered,” she said.
“Two trucks brought by dealers to evacuate medicines from Idumota market at midnight were also confiscated,” she said.
Adeyeye noted that NAFDAC is understaffed and urged the government to employ more qualified personnel to enhance its operations.
She emphasised the need for more staff at Nigeria’s entry points to strengthen surveillance and prevent counterfeit drugs from entering the country.
