NAFDAC Gives Two-Week Deadline to Medicine Dealers in Lagos, Onitsha, Aba to Join National Database
NAFDAC gives drug dealers in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba two weeks to register or face sanctions.
Agency warns non-compliant shops risk closure as crackdown on fake medicines enters tougher enforcement phase.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a two-week ultimatum to medicine dealers operating in major drug markets in Lagos (Idumota), Onitsha, and Aba, requiring them to register their businesses on its national database or risk regulatory sanctions.
The directive, announced on Monday in Abuja by Mrs. Christiana Obiazikwor, Deputy Director of Public Relations at NAFDAC, is part of a renewed crackdown on counterfeit and substandard drugs circulating in Nigeria’s open markets.
The agency stated that the directive follows a strategic meeting held in Lagos with executives of the Lagos State Medicine Dealers Association. It aims to enforce traceability and ensure accountability in the nationwide pharmaceutical distribution.
Mr. Martins Iluyomade, Director of NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement Directorate and Chairman of the Federal Task Force on Fake and Substandard Products, emphasized the urgency of sanitizing Nigeria’s drug markets.
“There is a dire need to sanitize the drug market nationwide, and the current administration is determined to do that,” Iluyomade said.
“NAFDAC is not out to punish anyone. We do not have another country, and we must do the right thing for the good of all.”
Iluyomade warned that dealers who fail to comply with the registration requirement will face strict enforcement actions, including the closure of their businesses. He added that those who tamper with NAFDAC seals or attempt to reopen sealed premises will be sanctioned.
He further explained that medical regulation is not optional, noting that it is enshrined under Nigeria’s Exclusive Legislative List due to its direct impact on public health.
“There is no serious country in the world that does not regulate the use of medicines,” he added.
