Category: General News

 

– as Agency Uncovers More Massive Fake Drug Warehouses, Depots in Aba, Onitsha, etc

– 3000 Shops Screened, Sealed In Idumota, 14 truckloads of fake drugs seized in Aba, 10 across Anambra, and more in Onitsha

 

 

By Biola Lawal

FLOWERBUDNEWS: The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has declared total war against fake drug peddlers across the country, warning – enough is enough.

Prof. Adeyeye, who gave the charge while speaking on the ongoing NAFDAC Enforcement Operations, disclosed that two more massive warehouses full of fake and expired medicines were uncovered over the weekend in Aba, truckloads in Idumota and Onitsha.

”The goal is to stop the sale of counterfeit, substandard, expired, and rebranded drugs that pose significant health risks to Nigerians with a continued goal to safeguarding the health of Nigerians,” the NAFDAC Boss stated, statement by Sayo Akintola, Resident Media Consultant disclosed.

(NAFDAC Boss, Prof. Adeyeye, herself leading a combined team of NAFDAC Operatives and Security agents on the enforcement operation)

Prof. Adeyeye gave details of the recent NAFDAC successful operations saying:

Last week, the Agency uncovered a major operation depot dealing in expired and falsified drugs at Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa area of Abia State where the illegal operation was being run from multiple buildings near the Ariaria International Market.

The expired medicines were repackaged and revalidated for resale, posing a significant health risk to consumers.

Seized items consisted of expired potassium chloride, allergy medications, immune boosters, and cholesterol treatments. Machines used to rebrand and alter expiry dates were also discovered on-site.

The depot was discovered when NAFDAC operatives raided the facility in collaboration with a joint security team as part of the Agency’s intensified crackdown on counterfeit medicines which commenced on Monday.

During the raid, some individuals were arrested, but the prime suspect remains at large. Despite efforts to reach him, he showed no concern for his detained family members.

Later in the week, the NAFDAC enforcement officers and security forces from NSA uncovered another drugs depot at 269 Faulks road, Aba.

During the raids, NAFDAC operatives discovered machines used to rebrand and alter the expiry dates of medications, along with a large quantity of rebagged containers and fraudulent packaging materials.

This operation followed extensive data collection and intelligence gathering, which revealed large-scale repackaging of counterfeit drugs in the market,

At Onitsha, the Agency uncovered and seized fake, expired and falsified drugs (14 trucks loaded) at the Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.

The operation, which commenced on Monday, February 10, 2025, has already led to many shop raids, revealing a disturbing volume of adulterated and substandard medications worth billions of naira.

NAFDAC’s investigation highlighted the market as a hub for repackaging and revalidating expired medicines, which are often sold to unsuspecting consumers with fraudulent claims of authenticity.

Also commenting, the Director of NAFDAC’s Southeast Zone, Mr. Martins Iluyomade, said that several containers bearing fake NAFDAC approvals were among the seized drugs.

So far, we have confiscated no fewer than 14 trucks, each carrying a 40-foot container filled with fake, substandard, and adulterated drugs from the market. Some of these drugs even bear fraudulent NAFDAC approval claims, he stated.

‘We detected these fraudulent claims using our scanning and detection machines.’ The seized drugs include expired, banned, substandard, defective, repackaged, and recalled products.’ Iluyomade disclosed

The continued enforcement operation in Lagos, targeted major distributors suspected of supplying counterfeit drugs to pharmacies and hospitals across the state.

In the first week of the enforcement operation, NAFDAC screened and sealed over 3000 shops inside Open Drug Market Idumota in Lagos. Items discovered were vaccines in dilapidated, unventilated rooms sealed with Iron sheets in very filthy environment.

Others were banned products like large consignment of banned Analgin Injections, diverted Free HIV and Retroviral Drugs, expired drugs kept for revalidation, unregistered drugs, etc.

The Agency was able to evacuate illicit Pharmaceuticals of equivalent of 12 trucks.

Furthermore, empty packs of cartons of expired unregistered antimalarial injections were discovered inside a packing shop with the vials removed. Various brands of Codeine Cough Syrup and Tramadol 225 were discovered in a warehouse within the market, away from the pharmaceutical section where other products are sold.

The Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, however, insisted that the Agency would not rest on its oars until the market is completely sanitised.

She said, ‘enough is enough’, we shall not look away while a few disgruntled elements in society continue to kill unsuspecting consumers through substandard and falsified medicines.

The NAFDAC boss further explained that the extended enforcement operation targets the three major markets simultaneously in Idumota, Onitsha and Aba, which distribute significant percent of medicines in the country.

‘The goal is to stop the sale of counterfeit, substandard, expired, and rebranded drugs that pose significant health risks to Nigerians with a continued goal to safeguarding the health of Nigerians’ (Flowerbudnews)

 

 

 

The Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE), has directed its members across the state to withdraw their services, effective Monday.

 

In a statement signed by its State President, Dr. Nathaniel Kehinde Ogungbangbe, on Sunday, February 16, 2025, added that all gates of Local Government Secretariats must remain closed until further directive.

The statement reads, “The Osun State NULGE has noticed the political uproar bringing agitations and fear among our members working within the Local Government Areas across the State.

 

“The Osun State NULGE is apolitical, but we won’t allow our members to work in an atmosphere of insecurity.

 

We urge all the political parties and their members to abide by the rule of law. We insist on the rule of law to avoid turning our Local Government Secretariats into battle grounds thereby putting the lives of our members in danger.

 

“In furtherance to this, we hereby direct all our members working in all the Local Government Areas in Osun State to withdraw their services effective Monday, 17th February, 2025 at 12.00 a.m. (midnight), And all gates of Local Government Secretariats must remain closed until further directive.

 

“We won’t allow our members to return until their safety at work can be assured and guaranteed, which is their constitutional right

 

“We hereby call on all Security Agencies to ensure the safety of all lives and properties within Osun State Local Governments and the public in general.

 

“The NULGE Osun State remains committed to defending the rights, welfare and safety of all its members”

 

 

 

 

 

– Yetunde Lawal: Suspect Admits Murder After Initially Blaming Asthma

Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal, father of the late Yetunde Lawal, has alleged that his daughter was murdered for ritual purposes, citing the discovery of charms, black soap, and a horn in the suspect’s apartment.

Speaking with journalists on Saturday after a special prayer session held for Yetunde at Adefalu Compound, Ojuekun, Ilorin, Alhaji Lawal recounted the tragic circumstances surrounding her death. The session, led by Imam Alabidun, was attended by family, friends, and concerned Nigerians calling for justice.

Yetunde, who recently secured a teaching job at a private nursery and primary school, had attended a friend’s naming ceremony on Monday before informing her companions that she was going to meet a Facebook friend.

When she failed to return home, her family reported her missing at Oja-Oba Police Station.

A phone tracking investigation led to the suspect, Abdulrahman Mohammed Bello, an Islamic cleric, who later confessed to the crime.

Alhaji Lawal expressed his shock, stating that the only man he knew as Yetunde’s suitor was preparing to formalize their marriage.

He called on authorities, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Emir of Ilorin, to ensure a transparent investigation and justice for his daughter.

Yetunde, a National Certificate of Education (NCE) graduate in Chemistry and Integrated Science, was allegedly murdered at the suspect’s rented apartment in Olunlade, Ilorin. Initially, Bello claimed she died of asthma but later admitted to killing her. He is currently in police custody.

By Taiye Olayemi,

Detty December, a phrase coined to describe the festive and celebratory atmosphere that characterises the month of December in Nigeria, indicates the high volume of excitement and merriment associated with the last month of the year in Africa’s most populated country.

Like in many other matters, Lagos State takes the lead in Detty December.

The 2024 edition was remarkable, with millions of dollars generated across tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors in Lagos State.

This significant economic boost has sparked enthusiasm among stakeholders in the tourism industry, who are now seeking strategies to ensure sustainability of Detty December.

According to them, sustainability is crucial to maximising the economic benefits of Detty December and increasing its contribution to Nigeria’s gross domestic product.

Ikechi Uko, the organiser of AKWAABA African Travel and Tourism Market, emphasises the importance of adequate planning in making Detty December sustainable in Lagos and across Nigeria.

Uko says, with adequate planning, Detty December can be made sustainable and more beneficial not only to the tourism industry but also to local communities and the environment.

He urges that tourism bureaux, ministries, associations and other stakeholders should be carried along in the planning process.

He advises that a calendar of tourism events should be developed to make it sustainable.

“To make Detty December more sustainable, there has to be a calendar of tourism events, such that everyone planning to host events can register and inform the state or country.

“This enables tourists to plan their itineraries better. The idea is to make maximum income from the season. The more people move around, the more they spend money.

“We have to do it at the national level for people to gain full appreciation of what Nigeria has to offer as a nation.

“Nigeria can plan it better with tourism ministries, bureaux, associations, boards and other stakeholders with a properly planned calendar of tourism events.

“We should learn from what others have done successfully,” he says.

Mr Dayo Adedayo, an independent documentary photographer and cultural anthropologist, is of the opinion that sustainability of Detty December hinges on the ability of citizens to recognise opportunities and take full advantage of them.

He also believes that while the initiative thrives on citizen-led innovation and entrepreneurship, government should play a huge role by ensuring improved security.

He adds that government needs to invest more in infrastructure and ensure seamless immigration and customs processes as well as consider visa-free entry for Africans and people from the Caribbean.

“Continued investment in public transport system and event venues will enhance the overall experience during Detty December.

“One in every five Black people worldwide is a Nigerian; so, Nigeria should be the cultural home for all Black people.

“Granting visa-free entry to Africans and people from the Caribbean would position Nigeria as a prime destination for global Black tourism.

“To make Detty December sustainable, event organisers must focus on world-class event planning, ensuring that music, festivals, concerts, and parties are well-curated and safe,” he urges.

Adedayo advises that more emphasis should be placed on showcasing Nigerian arts, music, food and fashion to create an immersive experience.

“Leveraging social media to tell authentic Nigerian stories will bring even more attention to Detty December,” he argues.

Adedayo says showcasing Nigeria’s heritage to the world is delightful.

“Detty December is more than just a festive season. It is a movement.

“With citizens driving innovation and the government providing essential support, it has the potential to transform Nigeria into a global tourism powerhouse,” he says.

Mrs Bolaji Mustapha, National President of the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), says the association is willing to partner with Lagos State Government to determine best ways to make Detty December sustainable.

According to Mustapha, the association is ready to showcase its expertise in tour packaging in order to generate more revenue for Lagos State during Detty December.

She believes that there is need to introduce more entertaining activities during Detty December, including organising daily city tours and putting up roadshows to market Lagos State and the entire Nigeria ahead of the season.

Mustapha is convinced that the 2024 edition of Detty December, which recorded a huge success, can still be improved on.

According to her, no fewer than 150 members of NATOP sold tour packages during 2024 Detty December.

The NATOP president says the association made about 80 per cent increase in sales in 2024 as against about 60 per cent increase in 2023.

“2024 Detty December was a huge success, and I commend Lagos State Government for this, but there is always room for improvement.

“As an association of tour operators with expertise in tour packaging both locally and internationally, we are ready to extend our touch of professionalism to make the next edition outstanding.

“Our focus is to partner with the state to have a detailed city tour with tourists. The essence of this is to enable tourists to have more beautiful and memorable experiencesv.

“To make the season sustainable, the state needs to organise roadshows with tour operators from other countries who will, in turn, sell Nigeria with us,” she suggests.

According to her, the tour operators will come and see what Nigeria has to offer in tourism and go back to their countries to market these in order to attract more tourists to Nigeria.

“To make it sustainable, we want to partner with the state government to see how more activities can be added.”

For Mr Ganiu Balogun, a major thing that will make Detty December sustainable is improved security.

Balogun says he obvserved last Detty December that some people were reluctant to go to certain places and at certain times of the day due to security concerns.

He is, however, delighted that a significant number of tourists opted for water transport means during the celebration.

Analysts urge collective efforts to sustain Detty December as a strategy to transform Nigeria into a global tourism powerhouse. (NANFeature)

*** If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)**

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola

By Flowerbud News

 

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

“The judiciary,…. has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgment.”
— *Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, No. 78.*

In January 1983, a suspicious fire incident did considerable damage to NECOM House, the high-rise building in Lagos that housed the headquarters of the country’s telecommunications monopoly, then known as the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NITEL. Alhaji Shehu Shagari was in power as elected civilian president.

The belief was widespread that the fire was the handiwork of “senior officials in the building (who) had been under investigation for fraud and embezzlement that police estimated at more than US$100 million.”

The NECOM House fire was another in a succession of high-profile incidents with a whiff of arson affecting public infrastructure in the country. The previous month, another fire had consumed the Ministry of External Affairs, reportedly “set by accountants who were under investigation.”

Casualty count from the fire incident was substantial but uncertain.

By some coincidence, the fire occurred the week after the fire-fighting team at the facility had been inexplicably withdrawn.The response of the federal authorities was even more inexplicable.

The 21 persons whom they chose to prosecute in connection with the incident included Ray Ekpu, at the time a senior journalist and columnist, whose crime appeared to be that he published an article after the incident suggesting that it was arson.
Also charged were Adamu Akokhia, then-Chief Fire Officer of the Federation; and Saidu Garba, the Divisional Fire Officer responsible for the building. While they were suspects in pending criminal proceedings, the federal authorities also suspended Adamu Akokhia and Saidu Garba from work.

Saidu Garba sued at the High Court of Lagos State challenging his suspension. While his case was still pending, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, John Oyegun, issued a letter sacking him from the public service.
Informed of this development, the presiding judge, Yahaya Jinadu, summoned John Oyegun to appear before him and explain why he should not be held in contempt of court. The judge subsequently found Mr. Oyegun guilty of contempt, cautioned him and ordered him to withdraw the letter of termination issued to Saidu Garba while his case was pending.

Despite the forbearance of the court, Mr. Oyegun failed to comply. On 3 August 1984, the court ordered his lawyer to secure compliance by his client with the order or cease participation in the proceedings until he complied.

By this time, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was in his eighth month in power as military ruler, having overthrown Shagari.

Five days later, on 8 August, then Chief Judge of Lagos State, Adetunji Adefarasin, summarily withdrew the case file from Yahaya Jinadu and reassigned it to himself, claiming that he did so at the request of the trial judge. Yahaya Jinadu denied ever having made such a request to the Chief Judge.

While Yahaya Jinadu was on pilgrimage to Mecca shortly thereafter, the Advisory Judicial Committee (AJC), then chaired by Chief Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo (the same one who infamously convicted Obafemi Awolowo two decades earlier), constituted a committee “that curiously condemned his actions and asked him to make written and verbal apologies” to, among others, the federal attorney-general, the President of the Court of Appeal, and the Chief Judge of Lagos State. Unwilling to abide an order which he characterised as “humiliation and disgrace of the judiciary”, Yahaya Jinadu served the statutory sixty-day notice of his intention to resign as a judge. In response, the military regime terminated his judicial career summarily.
For being acutely aware of the duty to conserve the currency of judicial authority and being prepared to defend that, Yahaya Jinadu paid a heavy price with his career. Those who traduced him set in motion a deadly corrosion of judicial authority whose inter-generational consequences today endanger the very foundations of both the institution and the country.

Two contemporaneous events this past week dramatized how badly so.

Addressing judges at the beginning of the week at a continuing judicial education event in Abuja, the Federal Capital, Chief Justice of the Federation, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, complained about deepening public distrust of the judiciary, reminding her colleagues that “it is not enough to be impartial; we must also be seen to be impartial. The perception of bias or impropriety can be as damaging as the reality itself.”

At about the same time as the Chief Justice uttered them, these sentiments were on trial at another end of town. The Federal High Court in Abuja was the venue of the now viral contretemps between Nnamdi Kanu, self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), on the one hand; and the presiding judge, the lead prosecutor, and even his own team of lawyers, on the other. If anything was more troubling than the conduct of Mr. Kanu in that outing, it was the self-inflicted lack of judicial authority to firmly put a stop to it.

To be sure, there are ample provisions in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) empowering courts to preserve their authority or act against the disruption of their proceedings. A judge for a quarter of a century and a state attorney-general before that, the one charge that cannot possibly be made against the presiding judge in this case is inexperience. So, why was the court, nevertheless, so craven?

On 24 September 2024, Justice Binta Nnyako had ruled in respect of the same proceedings concerning Mr. Kanu that: “The root of adjudication is confidence. The defendant has no confidence in this court.

Consequently, I hereby recuse myself from this trial and hereby remit the case file to the Chief Judge for further necessary action.” Three weeks later, it was reported that the Chief Judge decided administratively to overrule the trial judge’s recusal and return the case file to her.

There are, however, two problems with this decision.
First, as a matter of law, the Chief Judge may be a first among his peers but he is no paramount chief at large. His powers do not extend to administratively overruling a written decision of a judge sitting as such. Second, as a practical matter, a judge who by her own hand rules to recuse herself from proceedings after affirming cratered confidence in her handling of the proceedings cannot allow herself to be bullied or inveigled into attempting to ingest her judicial vomit.
The coincidence of these two developments almost assuredly denied the court of its constitutive authority, making it a passenger in that piece of execrable judicial theatre.

The standard under the 1999 constitution is that a court shall be constituted “in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.”
A judge cannot return to claim impartiality and independence after having gone on record to recuse herself for having lost the confidence of the defendant. A forum in that setting hardly deserves the appellation of a court.

Nigeria’s 1999 constitution speaks loosely of “judicial power”. The traditional tools of power in this sense are coercive or transactional. As a fact, the judiciary lacks both. Its currency is neither arms nor money. Rather it is reason and authority.

To the extent that it is possible to salvage anything from the wreckage of those proceedings in that Federal High Court last week, it is the importance of holding the feet of the judiciary to fire when any judge – no matter how high – acts in a manner that casually endangers that authority. The costs of not doing so are incalculable.

*A lawyer and teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu*