Calling NAFDAC officials to order

By Chike Okeke

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has of recent been in the news for wrong reasons. The agency established in October 1992 by the Ibrahim Babangida administration is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of drugs, cosmetics, chemicals, packaged water and other regulated products in the country. NAFDAC aims to protect and promote public health by ensuring the quality and safety of these products.

The agency made its most effective national impact under its leadership by the late Prof. Dora Akunyili who served as the Director-General between 2001–2009 during the regimes of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Yar’Adua. This was when the agency carried out public enlightenment campaigns on the dangers to health of fake, expired and adulterated drugs and publicly destroyed such unwholesome medicines.

There is no doubt that the duties of the agency are very critical to the good health and wellbeing of Nigerians as the dangers of fake, adulterated and expired drugs to the lifespan of Nigerians cannot be overemphasized. However, in undertaking its assignment, NAFDAC has to operate under the laws of Nigeria.

A few months ago, officials of NAFDAC closed down the popular drugs market in Onitsha in Anambra State for three months. Reason: Some of the traders were allegedly engaged in sale of unwholesome, fake and adulterated drugs. Instead of separating the wheat from the chaff by separating the genuine drug dealers from adulterated drug dealers, all the traders selling drugs in the Bridge Head Drug Market were made to suffer. Businessmen who depend on the sale of drugs to pay their rents, feed their families, pay children’s school fees and settle other family bills were left desolate, in hunger and penury for the three months. A number of the businessmen were even said to have died of frustration. In the end, each shop owner in the market was alleged to have been intimidated to pay a huge sum of N700,000 before his shop was re-opened for business. Where else can this injustice, oppression, cheating and intimidation happen in Nigeria except to the people of the South-East region? Of course, as in all previous cases, mum is the word from the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The latest in this continuing acts of treating Ndigbo as second class citizens of Nigeria is NAFDAC’s officials’ invasion of the Balogun Business Associates (BBA) premises in Lagos. Since Saturday 2nd August, 2025, officials of the agency have been breaking into the shops and warehouses of the businessmen, carting away their goods and conveying them to God knows where. It is unbelievable that in this era of Nigerian democracy, an agency of the federal government will, accompanied by armed policemen and without prior notice to the owners, forcefully open their warehouses and cart away goods. The businessmen are left to wonder what offence they have committed. Can this inhuman and discriminatory action be meted to non-Igbo businessmen? The answer is of course an emphatic no.

It should be noted that our legal system abhors arbitrariness and reckless use of power. You cannot, because you are authorized to control the use of wholesome food and genuine drugs manufacturing and distribution in the country embark on unlawful seizure of goods of businessmen. The danger of allowing NAFDAC personnel free rein in their illegal acts is that they throw the displaced businessmen, whose businesses they destroy, into the unemployment market. As we are aware, idleness can lead to crime. The displaced traders will eventually resort to crime and constitute nuisance to society, a situation that is avoidable ab initio.

Mr. President Sir, your attention is humbly called to these acts of vandalism by NAFDAC officials at the Call Pack of Balogun Business Associates (BBA) at Trade Fair Lagos, with a view to your ordering an immediate stop to these unconstitutional and unlawful actions of NAFDAC officials.The traders narrate that from their experience when these goods are returned, some quantity may be stolen, tampered with and no longer in good condition. Who will pay for these losses?

One is constrained to ask what crime a law abiding citizen, fulfilling his civic duties to the government and carrying out his lawful duties at the Trade Fair Complex has committed to witness these acts of injustice and intimidation. Will the businessmen eventually be extorted to pay N700,000 or more, as was the lot of the traders at the Bridge Head Drug Market in Onitsha recently?

Under the Nigerian legal system, a search warrant is required to be presented before any agent or agency of government can enter any person’s residence or business premises. In this instance, there was no such warrant presented or even any notice given to the traders. How will this arbitrariness and impunity be allowed in our nascent democracy? Even during the time of military regimes, there was some level of civility in conduct of our public officers. One wonders why the NAFDAC officials, even while carrying out their official duties, cannot do so obeying lawful rules and conventions. These illegal actions affect the public image of the Bola Tinubu administration negatively. It should not be allowed to continue. One also wonders if the present Director-General of the agency, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, is aware of these actions of her officers causing serious embarrassment to members of the public. If she is not aware, this writer humbly calls her attention to these anomalies. So far, she has led the agency very successfully and effectively, leading to the renewal of her tenure. She should not allow the bad practices of her overzealous officials to dent her good image. 

The souls of these innocent citizens cry to high heavens for justice. Our dear Asiwaju, kindly intervene and hearken to the cries of the oppressed, deprived and intimidated for no just cause. These acts of man’s inhumanity to man continuing unabated at the Call Pack of Balogun Business Center in Lagos, calls for your Excellency’s immediate intervention. Kindly save the souls of your people. It is indeed an SOS situation.

• Okeke wrote in from Lagos