By KEMI AKINTOKUN

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday said the agency will not bow to any pressure in its bid to rid the country of banned, counterfeit, unregistered and harmful drugs.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known at a news conference in Lagos while reacting to claims that the agency forced some traders to pay N700,000 for a service they were unaware of.

She said NAFDAC recent enforcement operation in Idumota, Aba and Onitsha open drug market where harmful and banned drugs worth over one trillion Naira were evacuated was a measure taken by the agency to safeguard the health of the nation.

She said the charges imposed on the traders are investigative charges which were reduced from N5 million to N200,000 for sales of unregistered drugs and N2million to N500,000 for violation of storage after rigorous consultation.

The D-G said over 2500 traders with 3500 shops have resumed their normal activity in Ogbogwu market in Onitsha after paying the investigative charges and evacuation of drugs that contravene NAFDAC regulations were removed from the shops.

She said that NAFDAC?s decision to seal shops and imposed investigative charges followed due process.

?The charges are Federal government gazetted charges and payments.

?The agency will not cave in to pressure and there will not be unconstitutional opening of any shops that are yet to comply with NAFDAC directives.

?We will not close our eyes to these evil acts that have killed thousands of innocent children and women that died due to fake and substandard medicines,? she said.

Adeyeye said those spreading propaganda against the agency are done traders who brought banned narcotics to the country and are not ready to abide by the rules of the land.

She urged Nigerians not to politicise the issue, adding that the agency will continue to take measures that would be in the best interest of the nation.

Adeyeye assured Nigerians that the agency will continue to work within the purview of its mandate to safeguard the nation?s health. (NAN)

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