RAYMOND OZOJI reports
The Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Health has commenced investigations into the allegations of officials of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) demanding monies ranging from N5 Million from traders in the Onitsha drug market popularly known as Ogbo-Ogwu in the state for their shops to be reopened for business.
Chairman of the committee and member representing Aguata 2 state constituency, Hon. Tony Muobike, who spoke exclusively with this journalist, said the House of Assembly decided to invite the leadership of the drug market, his Executives and other stakeholders in the market to an investigative hearing, following grapevine information that NAFDAC was extorting money from the traders before their shops would be unlocked.
The lawmaker recalled that recently NAFDAC closed down Ogbo-Ogwu market over allegations of fake drugs, expired and prohibited drugs being sold in the market. He said through a motion he sponsored concerning the prolonged closure of the market and the intervention of the governor, the market was reopened.
But before long, Muobike said they began to get information that NAFDAC was collecting money from the traders inorder to open their stalls. He said some people have paid and their shops were opened by officials of NAFDAC while those who didn't pay had their shops under lock and key.
The lawmaker said the situation was very disturbing; so they invited them to enable the House of Assembly to confirm the veracity or otherwise if NAFDAC was actually collecting money from them.
He said the traders actually confirmed that NAFDAC was collecting money from them. That the traders informed the House that there were about three sets of money they were being asked to pay.
He said that according to the traders, NAFDAC was collecting N5 Million from importers selling drugs without NAFDAC number. That retailers selling drugs without NAFDAC number were asked to N200,000 each while traders with poor storage facilities paid N500,000 each, adding that the traders revealed that they were asked to pay the monies into a certain account called NAFDAC Project Account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Muobike however pointed out that after the investigations, the House of Assembly may involve the Ministry of Health and that if they also find out that the traders were being extorted, then the House of Assembly will do something about it.
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