Soludo demanded a tougher crackdown on the drug supply chain, emphasizing the need to eliminate fake and counterfeit drugs
Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has urged the federal government to stop counterfeit drug imports.
To keep harmful products out of local marketplaces, he called for better supply chain oversight.
The appeal follows previous discoveries in Onitsha’s markets, particularly the infamous Ọgbọ Ogwụ market, where regulators found massive amounts of fake and prohibited pharmaceuticals.
Soludo said the remedy must start at the point of entry, when deadly products are smuggled into the country, while local regulatory efforts continue.
“I visited the Ọgbọ Ogwụ and adjoining markets today in Onitsha. As the biggest open drug market in Africa, it is not surprising that federal agencies and regulatory bodies would, from time to time, visit the market to enforce standards and check the sale of fake, counterfeit, and controlled drugs.
“With drugs and related matters strictly under the Exclusive List, my visit today was interventionist. First, I sought to ascertain why other markets close to the drug market in Onitsha were closed.
“Away from the media sensation created by a few political actors, the leadership of the Plumbing Materials Market, which was shut down alongside the drug market, confirmed to me that the discoveries made by regulators in some shops were shocking and disturbing.
“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 demanded a tougher crackdown on the drug supply chain, emphasizing the need to eliminate fake and counterfeit drugs.
He also ordered expedited market searches to allow legitimate traders at the Plumbing Materials Market to resume their business within 10 days.