The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday announced that it had reopened the Bridgehead Drug Market in Onitsha following a month-long closure aimed at sanitising and enforcing regulatory measures in the pharmaceutical trade.
According to BusinessDay, the market, which includes Ogbo Ogwu and three adjoining market places, was shut from 10 February to 7 March to address lapses in medicine distribution practices.
To prevent a recurrence of the issues that led to the shutdown, the agency said it had introduced stringent administrative conditions for reopening. Shop owners were mandated to complete documentation and clearance procedures before being permitted to resume operations.
Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of NAFDAC in a statement on Wednesday, said a NAFDAC desk had been set up within the market to ensure compliance with regulatory standards in a streamlined manner.
She stated that all shop owners had been instructed, through their unions, to obtain and sign an undertaking, along with facing penalties for previous violations of distribution regulations. Only businesses that adhere to these new conditions will be allowed to trade.
“Pharmaceuticals are highly regulated due to their direct impact on public health and national security. Under the NAFDAC Act, the agency remains committed to ensuring that all drug distribution channels comply with safety and regulatory standards,” she stated.
Adeyeye, however, expressed gratitude for the cooperation of market leadership and the Anambra State Government in facilitating the intervention.
