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N700,000 on imposed Onitsha drug traders, penalty, not extortion – NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Tuesday further explained that the N700,000 being demanded from traders at the Onitsha drug market, is not extortion but penalties covered by law.
The agency, which spoke against the backdrop of the protests by some aggrieved traders in the market, who coopted Martins Vincent Otse, a known media influencer, popularly known as Very Dark Man (VDM) to help them get justice, said their demand was covered by law.
In a follow-up statement to that signed on Monday by Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC Director General, the agency rejected claims made by the media influencer accusing it of extortion in its regulatory enforcement at Onitsha Bridge Head Market, describing his comments as inciting and potentially in violation of the Cybercrime Act.
Reiterating that it had escalated the matter to relevant security agencies for investigation, NAFDAC clarified that the penalties imposed on traders followed due process and were in line with gazetted federal regulations, explaining that during recent enforcement operations in three open drug markets, all inspected shops, warehouses, and stores were found to be in violation of Good Storage and Distribution Practices.
Further explaining the controversial money, the agency disclosed that an investigative charge of ₦5 million was imposed on those selling unregistered products, which was later reduced to ₦200,000 after pleas, while a ₦2 million charge for violating storage standards was reduced to ₦500,000.
The agency, which said that it was critical that none of the premises of the markets were registered with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), a clear breach of federal laws, stressed: “These are Federal Government-gazetted charges and payments.”
Adeyeye, had on Monday, warned that the viral video in which VDM was seen castigating the agency for extortion, amounted to incitement, potentially constituting a breach of the Cybercrime Act, emphasising that the influencer’s call for traders to defy regulatory action undermines the authority of NAFDAC and could endanger public health.
“What this perpetrator has done is to openly tell his audience to defy the regulatory processes of NAFDAC. The enforcement was carried out under the authority of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),” she said.
Urging the public to disregard misinformation and reaffirming its commitment to protecting public health through strict enforcement of regulatory standards, the statement, said: “NAFDAC is working firmly within the purview of her mandate.”
The agency said it would leave it to security and legal authorities to determine if the influencer’s actions violate any statutes under the Cybercrime Act, adding: “We remain committed to ensuring that all medical products, medicines, vaccines, medical devices, and more used in Nigeria are of good quality, safe, and effective.
“These efforts are vital in reducing maternal and child mortality, improving life expectancy, and protecting citizens with chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes”.
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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