By Sola Ogundipe

FOLLOWING the clamp down and sealing of illegal drug markets in central Lagos, pharmacists under the aegis of the Lagos State branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), have urged the Lagos State government to bring its full weight to bear on persons who contravene the law on the sale, distribution, and display of counterfeit and adulterated products in unregistered places or premises in Lagos State and environs.

The call which came on the heels the raid by the Lagos State Task Force on fake and counterfeit drugs on Idumota, Idumagbo, and other parts of the Lagos Island axis, specifically urged the State government to sanction owners of properties who collaborate or attempt to sabotage current efforts of the Lagos State Task Force on fake drugs in central Lagos.

The Idumota open drug market, one of the major hubs of fake drug distribution in Nigeria, had been notorious for several other violations of public safety for decades.

In a signed statement, the pharmacists called on the State government to maximally invoke “the salient provisions of Section I(c) and 2(c) of Act 25 of 1999 which makes it an offence for people to aid or abet persons to sell, distribute or display for sale any adulterated or counterfeit products as well as aid or abet persons to hawk, sell, display for the purpose of sale in any place or premise not registered for such by the appropriate authority.”

President of the PSN, Lagos branch, Pharm Lanre Familusi, said the body of pharmacists admonished the Lagos State government and the Task Force to be courageous enough to put a final stop to the menace and the show of shame drug distribution activities epitomises in Idumota and other existing drug markets in Lagos State.

“We do also hope that the Federal Ministry of Health with this recent action of the Lagos State Task Force see a need to retain State Task Forces, in relevant statutes as they remain very relevant. Recently, the Task Force successfully sealed illegal drug markets in Ajegunle and Agege.”

In 1988, the Idumota drug market was sealed as huge quantum of drugs donated to public hospitals were traced to it. But it was later re-opened.

Eight years later in 1996, dealers in the same market connived with a company owned by some Chinese Nationals to re-validate anti-infectives and antimalarials valued at substantial hundreds of millions which were sold in the open market to consumers.

He recalled that only recently, the PSN Lagos State branch released the result of a survey which put the incidence of drug faking to about 52 per cent in Nigeria as against the 5 per cent projection by NAFDAC.

“It is pertinent to draw the attention of government and stakeholders to the express provisions of Sections 7 & 8 of Part III of the Poison and Pharmacy Act Cap 535 LFN 1990 which places an onus on all players in the pharmaceutical sector with specific respect to conduct of dispensing, sales, custody and supply of poisons and drugs in Nigeria.