The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has declared it will not yield to pressure in its ongoing campaign against banned, counterfeit, unregistered, and harmful drugs in Nigeria.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this statement during a news conference in Lagos while addressing allegations that the agency forced traders to pay N700,000 for unspecified services.

Adeyeye explained that NAFDAC's recent enforcement operations in Idumota, Aba, and Onitsha open drug markets, where harmful and banned drugs worth over one trillion naira were seized, were necessary measures to protect public health.

"The charges imposed on the traders are investigative charges which were reduced from N5 million to N200,000 for sales of unregistered drugs and from N2 million to N500,000 for violation of storage after rigorous consultation," she clarified.

According to the NAFDAC boss, over 2,500 traders with 3,500 shops have resumed normal activities in Ogbogwu market in Onitsha after complying with the investigative charges and removing drugs that contravene NAFDAC regulations from their shops.

She emphasized that the agency's decision to seal shops and impose investigative charges followed due process, stating, "The charges are Federal government gazetted charges and payments."

"The agency will not cave in to pressure and there will not be unconstitutional opening of any shops that are yet to comply with NAFDAC directives," Adeyeye insisted. "We will not close our eyes to these evil acts that have killed thousands of innocent children and women due to fake and substandard medicines."

Adeyeye claimed that those spreading propaganda against the agency are traders who imported banned narcotics into the country and are unwilling to abide by Nigerian laws. She urged citizens not to politicize the issue, assuring that NAFDAC will continue to take measures in the nation's best interest.

The enforcement actions have drawn criticism from various quarters, with some stakeholders condemning the N700,000 shop re-opening levy imposed on Onitsha drug traders. The International Human Rights Commission has also raised concerns over the closure of the Onitsha drug market.

Despite these criticisms, Adeyeye reaffirmed that NAFDAC will continue to work within its mandate to safeguard the health of Nigerians by ensuring that only safe, effective, and quality-regulated pharmaceutical products are available in the market.