NAFDAC Justifies ₦700,000 Fees in Crackdown on ₦1 Trillion Fake Drugs

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed its commitment to ridding Nigeria of banned, counterfeit, unregistered, and substandard drugs, vowing not to bow to pressure or propaganda.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, addressed recent allegations that the agency had unfairly imposed fees on drug traders. She dismissed the claims, clarifying that the charges were federal government-approved investigative fees, significantly reduced after consultations with stakeholders.

The charges in question followed major enforcement operations in open drug markets in Idumota (Lagos), Aba (Abia State), and Onitsha (Anambra State), where NAFDAC seized and evacuated banned and harmful pharmaceuticals valued at over ₦1 trillion.

“The agency will not cave in to pressure, and there will be no unconstitutional reopening of shops that are yet to comply with NAFDAC directives,” Adeyeye said firmly.

She explained that traders selling unregistered drugs were initially charged ₦5 million, but after consultations, the fee was reduced to ₦200,000. Similarly, the fee for improper drug storage was cut from ₦2 million to ₦500,000.

More than 2,500 traders operating across 3,500 shops in the Ogbogwu drug market in Onitsha have resumed business after paying the appropriate charges and clearing their shops of prohibited drugs.

Prof. Adeyeye emphasized that the enforcement measures followed due legal process and were designed to protect public health, especially vulnerable populations like children and women who often fall victim to fake and substandard medications.

“We will not close our eyes to these evil acts that have killed thousands of innocent children and women,” she stated.

She accused some of the agency’s critics of being part of the drug trafficking network, attempting to resist regulation and undermine national health safety.

Adeyeye called on Nigerians to resist politicizing the issue, affirming that NAFDAC would continue to operate strictly within its legal mandate to ensure the health and safety of the public.

“This is not about politics. It’s about saving lives. And we will not relent,” she concluded.