The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has generated N2.5 billion from recent clampdowns on illicit drug markets in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known during a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drug Administration and Control.
According to Prof. Adeyeye, the amount was raised through fines imposed on traders found guilty of selling fake, substandard, or expired drugs during recent enforcement operations.
She emphasized that all the funds were paid directly into the agency’s official account.
Providing a breakdown, the DG explained that N996 million was spent on enforcement operations, N159 million was borrowed from a donor grant to support the exercise, while N1.175 billion went into regulatory expenses.
After deductions, the agency was left with approximately N206 million.She added that the crackdown, which lasted up to four weeks in some areas, involved over 1,300 security personnel and uncovered serious public health threats, including expired, unregistered, and banned substances like Tramadol being sold in open markets.
However, Prof. Adeyeye clarified that the agency’s 2024 raid in Kano was different.
It was a court-mandated intervention, and as such, no fines or administrative charges were collected during that operation.
Despite the detailed briefing, Chairman of the committee, Hon. Regina Akume, said the agency’s presentation was incomplete.
“The work has not been completed. I would like to give you a chance to go back and work on this. How much was paid into the account? What goes in and what goes out? We haven’t talked about that,” Akume stated.
The committee consequently directed NAFDAC to return with a comprehensive, location-by-location breakdown of the N2.5 billion generated from the enforcement actions.
Reporting by Tanimu Salihu