The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has defended its recent crackdown on counterfeit drugs nationwide, rejecting claims that the agency is against businesses.
The agency’s actions, which included raids on markets and shops where counterfeit drugs were found, have drawn criticism from some individuals who argue that NAFDAC was unfairly targeting non-drug-related sections of certain markets.
However, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, has rejected these allegations, emphasizing that the agency’s primary focus is to “safeguard” public health.
“We are not disrupting business; we are protecting lives. We couldn’t have done this alone without the help of the National Security Adviser (NSA). This is a security risk for our country. The images shared by the BBC are heartbreaking, showing young men whose lives have been ruined,” Adeyeye said in a video posted on NAFDAC’s social media account following the agency’s recent drug seizures.
“What NAFDAC is doing is what we are supposed to do—protecting the public. There’s no politics involved in this operation. Many of the shops we’ve targeted are not registered with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), which is the authority responsible for regulating the industry.”
Adeyeye’s remarks came during a press conference in Lagos on Saturday, after NAFDAC sealed over 11,000 shops and arrested 40 individuals in its ongoing effort to eliminate fake and substandard drugs.
She explained that the crackdown, which had been planned for over a year as a covert operation, began on February 10 in major markets such as the Idumota Open Drug Market in Lagos, the Ariaria Drug Market in Aba, Abia State, and the Bridge Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
The targeted markets supply more than 80 percent of the country’s medications.
“We’re nearing the end of our operations in Aba, having almost completed the evacuation process. Our next step is to inspect individual shops to identify those that are legally registered and those that are not,” the NAFDAC DG stated.
“To date, we have shut down more than 4,000 shops in Onitsha, 3,027 in Lagos, and another 4,000 in Aba since these operations began. In Onitsha, we’ve only completed 20 percent of the work, and we will continue our thorough investigation, as some legitimate traders are not registered with the PCN.”
