Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has pushed back against former governor Peter Obi’s criticism of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for shutting down the entire Head Bridge Market in Onitsha amid a crackdown on counterfeit drugs.
NAFDAC’s enforcement action followed the discovery of fake pharmaceuticals in the Ogbo Ogwu drug section, leading to a sweeping closure that also affected non-drug-related sections, including plumbing materials, rods, timber, and provisions markets.
Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, argued that closing down the entire market was an overreach, disrupting the livelihoods of thousands of traders uninvolved in the illegal trade. He urged authorities to reopen unaffected sections, warning of economic hardship for traders already struggling in tough times.
However, Soludo countered Obi’s position, stating that investigations revealed fake drugs were not confined to the Ogbo Ogwu section alone. According to him, even the plumbing materials market, which was also shut down, had shops hiding cartons of counterfeit and globally banned medicines.
“The leadership of the plumbing materials market confirmed that the discoveries made by regulators in some shops were both shocking and disturbing,” Soludo said in a statement. “How these drugs, banned worldwide, still find their way into our markets is a question only the relevant authorities can answer.”
Dismissing what he called “political narratives” around the issue, Soludo backed NAFDAC’s enforcement, emphasizing the urgent need to clean up Nigeria’s drug supply chain. However, he assured that efforts were underway to speed up the inspection process so legitimate traders could resume business soon.
With fake drugs posing a serious public health risk, this showdown between two political heavyweights has added a new twist to the debate on how best to tackle Nigeria’s counterfeit drug crisis.
