Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has countered the stance of his predecessor, Peter Obi, on the closure of the plumbing materials market in Onitsha by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.
The governor disclosed this in a statement on X on Sunday after his visit to Onitsha on Saturday to assess the Ọgbọ Ogwu market and the nearby Plumbing Materials Market, which was recently shut down by NAFDAC.
DAILY POST recalls that NAFDAC recently shut down the entire Head Bridge Market in Onitsha after the discovery of fake drugs at the Ọgbọ Ogwu section of the market.
The agency uncovered fake drugs at various shops in the market and also seized 10 trucks of substandard, expired, and falsified pharmaceutical products.
The operation affected other sections, such as rod, allied and tools, plumbing materials, provisions, and timber markets.
In his reaction to the closure of the entire market, the former Labour Party presidential candidate said NAFDAC should not have shut down other market sections alongside the Ọgbọ Ogwu market, where counterfeit drugs were found.
Obi argued that the closure of the whole market was excessive and unjustified, stressing that the total shutdown could affect the livelihoods of millions of people.
“Shutting down other neighboring markets not involved, in addition to the Ọgbọ Ogwu Market, such as rod, allied and tools, plumbing materials, timber, surgical, and provision markets, seems excessive and unjustified. I therefore appeal for their immediate reopening, as their continued closure is severely affecting the livelihoods of millions, especially during this difficult period in our country,” Obi said.
Countering Obi’s stance, Soludo, in a statement released, said he had ascertained the reason NAFDAC closed other adjoining markets alongside the drug section.
He said Ọgbọ Ogwu market leaders confirmed that the regulatory agency found counterfeit drugs in the plumbing materials section of the market.
“The leadership of the plumbing materials market, which was shut down alongside the drug market, confirmed to me that the discoveries made by the regulators in some shops in the plumbing materials market were both shocking and disturbing.
“Right inside these shops were found cartons of counterfeit and controlled drugs, many of which had been banned globally. How these drugs, which have been banned globally and locally, are still being manufactured in India, pass through our various ports (sea and air), and find their way to our local drug markets remains a question only the relevant authorities can answer,” Soludo said.
