Ọgbọ Ọgwụ Market To Be Opened In Not More Than Ten Days – Says Soludo

EJIKE ABANA 

Anambra Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has expressed optimism that the Ọgbọ Ọgwụ market closed down for fake and substandard drugs by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, will be opened in not more than the next ten days.

The Governor was speaking when he visited the market closed down two weeks ago.

Governor Soludo emphasized that government agreed with NAFDAC to increase the labour force and security within the market and make owners of shops in each of the lines part of the investigation.

The Governor equally called on NAFDAC to interrogate the entire fake drugs ecosystem to get to the source as a permanent solution to the problem.

He recalled that in 2007, the market was closed for four months, saying that drug is on the exclusive list for Nigeria and urged the traders to commence self-policing once the market is re-opened, to forestall another closure.

The South East Regional Comptroller of NAFDAC, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, who took the Governor round the market premises, brought the governor up to speed with some aspects of the ongoing investigation.

The visit took a different turn when it was observed that even shops within the plumbing market were converted as drug sale outlet, just as Chairman of the Onitsha Building Materials Traders Association, Chief Chikodi Ejiofor, expressed shock at some of the discoveries made by NAFDAC.