The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the reopening of the Ogbo-Ogwu Drug Market in Onitsha, Anambra State, following a one-month closure.
The South-East Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, disclosed this on Thursday after a meeting with Anambra State government officials, led by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Ben Obidike, and market leaders at the market premises. He confirmed that the market would resume operations on Friday.
Iluyomade stated that the decision followed persistent intervention by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and an agreement signed by market leaders to halt the sale of fake, expired, and substandard drugs.
“During the enforcement exercise that lasted three weeks, the agency uncovered 50 trailer loads of fake and expired drugs, a large volume of narcotics capable of destabilizing the country, and numerous drugs banned since 2007,” he said.
He emphasized that the market’s reopening would not stop ongoing enforcement operations, noting that 4,000 shops had been sealed for various violations and would only reopen after proper profiling.
Iluyomade further revealed that the confiscated fake and expired drugs were valued at over N1 trillion.
He commended Governor Soludo for his support in combating the sale of counterfeit drugs and acknowledged the cooperation of market leaders throughout the enforcement period.
Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Obidike, also expressed appreciation to NAFDAC on behalf of the governor and urged traders to strictly adhere to the terms of their agreement with the agency.
