Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra has pledged to collaborate with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to eliminate fake, substandard, and adulterated drugs from the market.
Soludo made this commitment on Saturday in Onitsha while addressing traders at Ogbo Ogwu and surrounding markets, which were recently shut down by NAFDAC for dealing in counterfeit and expired drugs.
The governor recalled that the market had previously been shut for four months in 2007, stressing that such actions were necessary for public safety.
“The enforcement is being carried out by NAFDAC. We are here to solve the problem,” he said.
Soludo also referenced a meeting with the head of the plumbing market, who expressed shock at the discovery of counterfeit drugs in the area.
“He did not know that such illicit drugs could be found here.
“I’m not here as a politician, but to address the issue at hand—the high rate of fake drugs in the market.
“These drugs are so dangerous that taking malaria pills, for instance, can cause further health problems instead of curing malaria,” he warned.
