The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating banned, counterfeit, unregistered, and harmful drugs across Nigeria, stating that it will not bow to any pressure in carrying out its mandate.
Speaking at a news conference in Lagos on Friday, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, addressed recent allegations that the agency forced some traders to pay ₦700,000 for a service they were unaware of. She clarified that these were investigative charges, significantly reduced after extensive consultations—from ₦5 million to ₦200,000 for sales of unregistered drugs, and from ₦2 million to ₦500,000 for storage violations.
Prof. Adeyeye highlighted a recent large-scale enforcement operation in the open drug markets of Idumota, Aba, and Onitsha, where harmful and banned drugs valued at over ₦1 trillion were evacuated. She emphasized that the operation was a necessary step to protect public health.
According to her, over 2,500 traders operating in 3,500 shops at Ogbogwu Market in Onitsha have since resumed normal activities after paying the investigative charges and clearing their shops of non-compliant products.
She maintained that the sealing of shops and the imposition of charges followed due process and were backed by Federal Government regulations.
“The charges are gazetted payments under the Federal Government. The agency will not cave in to pressure, and there will be no unconstitutional reopening of any shop that fails to comply with NAFDAC directives,” she asserted.
Prof. Adeyeye strongly condemned those spreading falsehoods about the agency, accusing them of being part of a group smuggling banned narcotics into the country and unwilling to adhere to national regulations.
“This issue should not be politicized. Our actions are in the best interest of public safety,” she added.
She concluded by reassuring Nigerians that NAFDAC remains committed to operating within its legal mandate to safeguard the nation’s health and protect citizens from the dangers of substandard and fake medicines.