The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has come under fire from federal lawmaker Mr. Afam Ogene for charging traders impacted by the closure of the Onitsha drug market with a N700,000 fee.
Ogene, the Labour Party’s representative for Ogbaru Federal Constituency in Anambra State, called Tuesday’s incident “scandalous, outrageous, and reprehensible.” He bemoaned the fact that there was documented proof that NAFDAC was formally extorting N700,000 from each drug market shop owner in order to gain access to their establishments.
According to the lawmaker, more than 1,000 store owners have paid the controversial N700,000 access fee. He recalled that in a February motion, the House of Representatives had warned NAFDAC not to hurt innocent businesses while they were operating at the market. Ogene questioned why all business owners, regardless of their level of responsibility, were subject to a N700,000 levy.
Concerns concerning NAFDAC’s operational effectiveness are raised by the extended market closure and the agency’s seeming incapacity to find and prosecute drug counterfeiters.
“What’s the purpose of this money?
Does the payment mean that people who are guilty of drug counterfeiting are exempt if it is for access to the stores of impacted traders? How is this fair to the market’s defenceless companies?
Doesn’t this go against the values of justice and fairness that democracy and the rule of law promote? This dispute is preventable and takes attention away from the battle against counterfeit medications.
He stated, “NAFDAC’s actions are unethical, unacceptable, and reprehensible; the agency must act swiftly to address this issue, which threatens its image and credibility, and the institution is spared further embarrassment.”
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