Abia Assembly Promises Reopening Of Sealed Medicine Market

Abia State House of Assembly has assured the Aba Patent Medicine and Drug Dealers Association that the popular Ekumi Plaza in Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia State would be reopened.

The National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had sealed the medicine market uncovering contraband worth millions of naira on the 10th of February.

NAFDAC said the move was to curb the proliferation of fake and unregistered medicines.

The assurance followed a visit by the members of the association who attended plenary on Tuesday, and made an official report to the house regarding the action by NAFDAC over their business areas.

Speaking to the Honourable house, Alex Iwuoha, the association’s spokesperson presented their issue before the house.

“Honourable Speaker, sir, the association is here to officially report to the House that the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, had an operation in Aba some couple of weeks ago.

“And because of that operation, our stores, our business premises are all sealed and closed down,” Iwuoha said.

“Actually, what they did is their legitimate operations trying to regulate the pharmaceutical products that we have here in Nigeria but this has really brought untold hardship and pain to the members”, The spokesperson said.

He went further to apologize on behalf of the members who were the reason behind the action of NAFDAC.

“Before I continue, I would also like to apologize on behalf of some of our members who have dabbled into areas that really made them come.

“That has actually affected too many of us, but the problem we have is that they were unable in the course of the operation to separate the good from the bad and ugly putting the entire, bad eggs and the good ones in the same basket, He said.

Also speaking, Chima Amadi, the Chairman of the association emphasized that the action of NAFDAC has caused a lot of them so much pain that some have lost their lives, and many can’t afford to put food on their table or send their children back to school.

“This is the reason we have come, begging that please Mr. Speaker and the members of the National Assembly to come to our aid, to help us.

“And we are very much ready to comply with whatever guidelines or directives that will be given to us so that we will foster such things from happening in the future” The chairman said.

In response to their plea, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa sympathized with the business men and gave them his word.

“Whatever affects you affects us, that you are not in your shops, doing your daily business is not a happy thing for us. But I am somebody who always stands for the law.

“My colleagues and I, we have looked at it and we are still interfacing with the executives. We are not happy that the innocent ones are being punished, “he said.

The speaker made them to understand that they are in this situation because the good ones amongst them keeps quiet when they see their colleague doing the wrong thing, but promised that they will invite the NAFDAC and liaise with them so that the business areas will be opened again while NAFDAC continues their work and even establish an office within the business areas.

“We stand with you and you have our support but we urge you to exercise little patience while we talk with NAVDAC and see how they can work out a solution to handle this problem going forward so that this kind of seizure will no longer happen”, The speaker said.

Abia Assembly Promises Reopening Of Sealed Medicine Market is first published on The Whistler Newspaper