By Chinaza Osigwe
Governor Chukwuma Soludo has announced that the Ọgbọ Ọgwụ market, closed down by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) due to the sale of fake and substandard drugs, will be reopened in no more than ten days.
The Governor made this announcement during a visit to the market, which was shut down two weeks ago. Soludo emphasized that the government has agreed with NAFDAC to increase the labour force and security within the market.
He also called on NAFDAC to investigate the entire fake drugs ecosystem to get to the source and find a permanent solution to the problem. The Governor urged traders to commence self-policing once the market is reopened to prevent another closure.
During the visit, the South East Regional Comptroller of NAFDAC, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, took the Governor on a tour of the market premises, updating him on the ongoing investigation.
The visit revealed that some shops within the plumbing market had been converted into drug sale outlets, prompting shock from the Chairman of the Onitsha Building Materials Traders Association, Chief Chikodi Ejiofor.
