A few weeks after Labour Party Presidential Candidate (LP) Peter Obi said so, the South-East Caucus in Nigeria’s House of Representatives has asked the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to reopen the Onitsha Bridgehead Market in Anambra State the agency shut earlier this month.
Obi’s plea had generated mixed reactions, although he had stressed that the closure had brought collateral damages to innocent business folks in the popular market.
It said that shutting down the entire market caused significant collateral damage, particularly affecting medicine users in the South-East and South-South regions.
The caucus said reopening the market would allow those whose livelihoods depend on it to conduct legitimate business and earn a living.
The leader of the caucus, Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), made the appeal in Abuja during a press conference at the National Assembly Complex on Tuesday, February 25.
NAFDAC had sealed over 4,000 shops in Onitsha, 4,000 shops in Aba and 3,027 shops in Lagos, as part of its nationwide fight against fake and substandard medicines.
While condemning criminals involved in the production and distribution of fake and adulterated medications, the caucus noted that their activities not only endanger public health but have also led to the loss of lives.
Igariwey also commended NAFDAC for its efforts in tackling these “merchants of death” across the country.
However, he urged the agency not to punish innocent and legitimate traders, as well as medicine users, due to the actions of a criminal few.
He said, “While we acknowledge NAFDAC’s statutory role in combating fake drugs, we urge them to swiftly arrest and prosecute those responsible for their production and distribution.
“The wholesale and indefinite closure of a market that supplies over 90 per cent of the medication needs of the South-East and South-South may not be the best approach. Many traders in the market are genuine businesspeople.
“To avoid punishing all traders at Onitsha Bridgehead Market, which remains on lockdown, and considering the wider impact on public health, we urge NAFDAC to resolve the issue by prosecuting offenders and sanitising the pharmaceutical sector, whether in Onitsha, Aba, Lagos, or Kano.”
He also called on the Nigeria Customs Service to step up efforts in securing land, sea, and air borders to prevent the influx of fake and adulterated drugs into the country.
George Ozodinobi, the lawmaker representing Njikoka/Dunukofia/Anaocha Federal Constituency in Anambra State, also urged NAFDAC to consider the plight of those who rely on daily medication for their health conditions.
“We support NAFDAC in its fight against fake drugs, but reopening this market will allow legitimate traders to earn a living while ensuring access to genuine medication,” he said.
