By Ovat Abeng
Some traders at the popular Onitsha Drug market, (Ogbo-Ogwu), Anambra State, under the umbrella bodies of Concerned/Genuine Members of Ogbo-Ogwu Market and Justice for Ogbo-Ogwu, Traders, have dismissed a report circulating that another round of fake drugs worth over N265millon has been discovered and ceremoniously hand over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Enugu zonal office by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the market, Mr Chukwuleta Ndubuisi.
The bodies clarifies that the drugs in question,were not fake but expired and that there where not seen display for sale any longer as at the time of the alleged discovery.
While urging the public especially, their potential customers to disregard the publication, the bodies warned the market leadership to desist from playing politics with people’s lives.
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It was gathered that Mr Nduibusi, announced the handing over of the fake drugs to the agency while speaking to journalists at his office, on Monday.
He said some of the goods were seized last year while others were confiscated after NAFDAC’s invasion of the market.
He vowed that the periodic exercise would not stop until all forms of unwholesome drugs were flushed out from the market.
The bodies in their swift response, threatened to suit the chairman, if he fails to provide evidence that shows the drugs were fake within a giving period of two working weeks.
According to Comrade Emmanuel Ozoemenam who spoke on behalf of the bodies, during a press conference also held in Onitsha on Monday, appeal to the State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo to urgently dissolved the Caretaker Committee of the market and conduct an election to save traders from the autocratic leadership of Mr Nduibusi.
He accused Mr Nduibusi of using NAFDAC officials and the Anambra State owned security operatives to intimate and harassed members of the market, in which he lamented has resulted to low patronage.
“As I speak to you now, we have lost over 60 percent of our esteemed customers to other major drug markets in the country (Aba, Lagos and Kano).
“Our business is slimming on daily basis, our customers are running away to other major drug markets located at Aba, Lagos and Kano, because of a selfish and wicked leadership.
According to him, “what we are speechlessly experiencing today in this market that has been in existence for the past 36 years is horrible under the leadership of Nduibusi, who bragged to be the brother of governor Soludo.
“His motive behind all what he is doing is to attract cheap popularity from the public to enable the governor make him a life chairman of Ogbo-Ogwu market.
“He is playing politics with people’s lives. We are tired of being under his leadership. He has turned the market upside-down. We are appealing to the state governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo to help us dissolved the Caretaker Committee and conduct an election that would have elective officers with administrative experience,” Ozoemenam advocated.
