By Uzo Ugwunze
Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA) Patron and President General, Building Materials International Market (BMIM) Ogidi, Chief Jude Nwankwo (Ochendo) has urged the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to respect the fundamental human rights of citizens as they continue their fight against sale of fake, substandard, counterfeit and harmful drugs in the country.
The ASMATA Patron made the call while speaking to our reporter at his office,. BMIM Ogidi, Idemili North LGA, Anambra State.
He commended the resolve of NAFDAC to crack down on traders dealing in fake and counterfeit drugs, saying that it was geared towards the good health and wellbeing of Nigerians.
However, Nwankwo insisted that the manner of approach towards eradicating those substandard products calls for caution and should be done without intimidation especially as it concerns some innocent traders who are in the same closed markets dealing in legitimate products.
It could be recalled that NAFDAC recently sealed medicine markets in Lagos , Aba, and ogbogwu market, Onitsha in Anambra state.
In Onitsha, NAFDAC allegedly stormed the drug market on a Monday when most of the traders were not in the market.
The agency reportedly came with fierce looking soldiers with heavy armoured vehicles stationed at all entrances to the market chasing both traders and their market leaders
The agency claimed that the ongoing enforcement operations at these drug markets was to rid the country of counterfeit and substandard drugs.
However, many traders in the affected markets have complained bitterly, alleging blanket disruption of businesses, including those of innocent people, causing grave losses of goods and money.
According to the market patron who commended NAFDAC on its efforts at tackling the menace of fake and adulterated drugs, the agency should go about the assignment in adherence with global best practices, such that legitimate and innocent traders are not caught in the quagmire.”
“NAFDAC should employ the rule of law as they go about their duties. Government and its agencies should do things with human face because they are not dealing with animals but human beings. You cannot say you are trying to protect human life and endanger the lives of many others who are involved in legitimate businesses”.
“For instance, we received complaints that NAFDAC sealed the market and allegedly denied the traders and their leadership entry, as its officials proceeded to break into shops, carting away pharmaceuticals, without owners of such shops being allowed to witness the operation and take inventory.”
“There are reports of some traders and Point of Sale (POS) operators who left varying sums of cash in their shops – the closure having taken place at the weekend – without any means of having access to their shops.”
“NAFDAC’s enforcement actions extended beyond the medicine market (Ogbo Ogwu), also affecting the plumbing materials section, which was shut down about two weeks now. This move has left traders frustrated, as they were abruptly locked out of their businesses.
“Apart from shop owners, we have artisans, loaders, barrow pushers, hawkers who eke a living just because that market is open and many of them cannot eat any day the market is closed.
“For about two weeks now all of them and their dependants are suffering untold hardship out of the recklessness or intimidation from the NAFDAC officials.
“Also, even a culprit or fake drug dealer has right to fare hearing. He is supposed to be invited to open his shop while NAFDAC conducts a search in his presence so that he cannot deny it because tomorrow the person may claim that the counterfeit drugs were planted by his enemies since he was not there when you broke into his shop or warehouse and that will give the person room to evade the wrath of the law, “he said.
Nwankwo urged NAFDAC to exercise caution and sensitivity in its operations to avoid unfairly impacting the livelihoods of innocent vendors engaged in legitimate businesses in the affected markets, adding that a measured approach will help balance the agency’s regulatory mandate with the need to protect the interests of law-abiding entrepreneurs and traders.
