The Chairman, Ogbogwu International Market Onitsha Anambra State, Mr. Chukwulote Ndubuisi (Eze Omeogo) has dispelled the allegations of frequent harassments of union members in market by security agencies. In an interview with Stadt Newspaper, the Chairman said that the allegation of frosty relationship with NAFDAC is absolutely malicious falsehood. Expressing surprise and embarrassment over the idea of conflicts with NAFDAC, Eze Omeogo said, “to the best of my knowledge, there is an understanding and cooperative relationship between Ogbogwu and security institutions constitutionally charged with responsibilities of supervising its operations”. In complete denial of any friction between his Union and NAFDAC, the Ogbogwu Governor said that the market has resounding healthy and productive partnership with the NAFDAC. The body has shown substantial restraint and respect in carrying out its responsibilities in the market.
Explaining various efforts by his administration in ensuring good infrastructure and maintenance of the integrity of the market, Eze Omeogo expressed gratitude to his team and the members of the union for the endless supportive roles that made the Ogbogwu now a centre of global attraction. He noted that several people from different countries around Africa depend on Ogbogwu for drug supply. Further, the Chairman called on NEMA to fulfil her promise of supporting victims of tragic fire incident in the market. Recall, about two years ago the market was engulfed by fire. The fire was caused by an explosion and about 200 shops were destroyed and more than 500 members were badly affected because they lost all they had. On relocation to Permanent site in Oba, he assured that there is now a renewed vigour by the state government to ensure realization of the plan. Below is the conversation in full.
The Honourable Chairman Ogbogwu International Market Onitsha, Stadt Newspaper is pleased to have you honour this invitation for conversation. You are a well-known business owner and a traders’ welfare activist, tell us more about yourself?
Stadt Team, you are welcome. Thanks a lot for interest in Ogbogwu International Market Onitsha, Anambra State. My name is Chukwulote Ndubuisi, popularly called Eze Omeogo. I am generally regarded as a traders’ welfare activist. My inspirations are sense of responsibility, devotion to duty and strong attachment to value, particularly, the value of what we are doing in Ogbogwu Market. Apart from food and sunlight nothing supports our health more than medicine. The interventions of medicines in our lives are very vital. It means therefore that whoever has a role to play in this area must aim at quality service delivery. The basic understanding has been that God put us in Ogbogwu to save lives. We are carrying out this duty of saving lives with courage and determination.
Today, Ogbogwu Onitsha is progressively becoming an important place as long as the health of the nation is concerned. We are rapidly becoming a central point for genuine drug businesses across Nigeria and beyond. The need to preserve and promote this perception are active forces driving me as a leader of the group. We all know that it is really difficult to build and very easy to destroy, so the need to protect our businesses that have so much influences on our general wellbeing and the health of the nation are compelling obligations for me and indeed members of my administration. Thank Almighty God for the meaningful support I receive from our members.
War against fake and/or substandard drugs are world-wide in scope and challenging, what are the measures by your administration in dealing with the scourge?
We are conscious of this obligation to keep sanitising and protecting Ogbogwu from infiltration of the scourges as much as we can as stakeholders. Yes, we are really sensitive to the enormous challenges, however, we have very limited instruments for effective policing and actions against fake or substandard drugs because we are not the regulatory agency. We are only intermediaries in demand and supply chains. As a government, we are unrelenting in our efforts and commitment to educate or enlighten our members on the dangers of substandard products. Very often we organise educational programmes with the support of relevant government agencies.
The educational programmes are for maintenance of up-to-date levels of awareness in the areas of quality services in our sector. Yesterday, we were on inspection when unexpectedly NAFDAC Team appeared for the same purpose in the market. The team was impressed to find members of my government and our supervision crew at work going round the market. We have always cautioned, fined and severely punished our members found wanting as long as maintenance of the integrity of the market is concerned. Dealing decisively with fake or substandard drugs is a challenging task across the globe but we are resolute in the efforts to do our best. It is unfortunate that quest for illicit wealth drive many crazy across the world, this is why today no society is crime free. As a matter of routine, we handover objectionable drugs to the agencies concerned in compliance to the rules of due process. The fact is that we deal with scapegoats decisively. Our internal disciplinary actions have been very deterrent and we have always been commended by NAFDAC.
Many of the drugs at Ogbogwu Onitsha were imported, with the deepening crisis of naira/dollar exchange rates what is your government doing to ensure that the most essential drugs are available and affordable at the same time?
Regrettably, we are challenged by the increasingly uncontrollable economic instability in Nigeria. The Naira-Dollar crisis is unfortunate. As long as drugs are concerned, Nigeria is heavily import dependent because the much we produce are not enough to serve the need, therefore, dollar is necessary. The situation is intolerable for us in the supply chain because we are forced sell according to the prevailing prices. Remember, we are in business, and we sell according to the margins that enable us remain in the business. Whatever it is, my administration is mindful of the difficulties of the economically vulnerable who are increasingly finding access to essential drugs very difficult.
Today, we are all suffering both the rich and the poor, the economic situations are not favouring anyone. As a form of an active intervention, in October 2023 we started a campaign for Free Medical Services. This intervention has been attracting so many people. My administration conceived this Charity Interventions and it is funding it. For the sake of successful implementation of this Free-Medical Services, we contracted five Medical Doctors and Four Nurses to supervise the programme. We also engaged pharmacists and five of laboratory scientists to assist in processing the demands of the endless people that are depending on facilities. We are also providing the health personnel the drugs and the equipment they need. The Anambra State Government has shown interest and it is seriously supporting the efforts with personnel and a structure. The State Government inspected and approved construction of a Health Post in the market to help in the advancement of the free medical service initiatives. The Health Post is functioning well and it is providing the needed modest medical services.
For the sake of our readers across the world, tell us what made Ogbogwu International Market an exception in terms of quality products and what are you doing as a government to ensure that this status is not damaged by negative stories?
Well, our union is really aware of the importance and the obligations to uphold this culture of quality service delivery by means of quality drugs. Apart from the moral obligations to be upright, there is the NAFDAC rules and regulations on issues of drugs. As part of the efforts to continue meeting all expectations we organise regular seminars. The major reasons for these training programmes are to fortify the conscience of our members against various forms of malpractices in the sector and to upgrade our understanding of the new trends as they concern the drugs. Ogbogwu has become globalised. Severally people from different countries around Africa depend on us for drug supply. Many foreign drug companies, particularly, the Indians are finding it imperative to open liaison offices, and often shops in the market.
There is no gain saying that the preservation of the integrity of the drug market is topmost in our consciousness. The fight against damage to the reputation of Ogbogwu has become a collective endeavour due to the importance. You may be shocked to learn that if this market is closed for three weeks the ripples of damages across African will be endless. Even our trade partners across continents will be adversely affected due to the volumes of transactions involved. This is why we are not relenting in the efforts to do only the right things in the market. We have absolutely zero tolerance for the contraband drugs. The efforts towards self-preservation have inevitably made us self-sanitising, in short. So far, our efforts to ensure standardised operations are yielding verifiable positive results. My government has exceeded the efforts of previous the governments of the market as long as preservation of integrity, introduction of new ideas and improvement of ease of doing business in the market. Imagine, during Covid-19 Pandemic the Ogbogwu was forced to remain open among every other market across Nigeria. An attempt to close it then, raised desperate alarms from health institutions in Nigeria. There were allegedly phone calls from governments and major health institutions to Anambra State Governor to keep the market open as the only credible source of medical supplies. The market closed only for three days when the alarms were raised. These facts proved the points on the indispensability of the market.
There are never-ending stories of invasions and threats to your members and businesses by all manners of security agents what are you doing to ensure that the unnecessary harassments are stopped completely or reduced significantly?
It is an absolutely malicious falsehood to say that there are never-ending invasions and threats to our members and businesses by all manners of security agents. I am surprised by the allegation. To the best of my knowledge, there is an understanding and cooperative relationship between Ogbogwu and the security institutions constitutionally charged to supervise its operations. The security people, particularly NAFDAC Team come in from time to time in the exercise of its legitimate duties and we readily offer the Team all the supports it needs. In fact, we are actively united in the efforts to maintain the integrity of the market. In my denial of friction between this Union and NAFDAC, I emphasise that we have healthy and cooperative relationship with the body. The body has shown substantial restraint and respect in carrying out its responsibilities in the market. We have never had problem with NAFDAC and it is not embarrassing or harassing us.
What are you doing to dispel the impression of Ogbogwu International market as the soul of counterfeit drug businesses in Nigeria? It was once said that if there was no Onitsha drug Market Nigeria will record less than 5 percent of fake drugs?
This proposition is laughably false. It has no foundation with facts, a complete falsehood. If in fact there is anything truthful in the allegation this market cannot be existing till today. The truth is that there may be one or two unscrupulous elements among us. However, the negative impacts of these few are so insignificant that they have no effect on quality of services in the market, because, there are more people here with great honour and who are devoted to doing the right things.
It is unreasonable to deny possibilities of bad eggs, ours is a society peopled by human beings and we believe that human society is not free from quilts of imperfection. For instance, it is a bad logic to condemn and dismiss fifteen people just because one person among them is wrong. Our union is made up of over 8,000 members, thus, it is unfair to claim that all the members are perfect saints. However, what is undoubtable is that Ogbogwu International Market is a credible source of medical supplies to endless numbers of very important health institutions all over Nigeria. Even health institutions controlled by Churches have no other drug market but, Ogbogwu. If not because of the credibility of our services and the high quality of drugs we sell people could have chosen to go elsewhere. People involved in unethical practices are everywhere, so closing a particular market cannot protect the society from the fake because there is no nook and cranny of Nigeria where the fakers cannot operate from.
There were speculations that Ogbogwu is relocating to a permanent site at Oba. The rumoured relocation is about 10 years now. What are stages of the preparation to move and when do you think the movement will start?
At some points in the past, the Government of Anambra came up with an idea to relocate Ogbogwu to Oba. This relocation was encapsulated in what the regime then described as Coordinated Wholesale Centre. The execution of the plan was probably frustrated by improper commitment of the government and probably, also, by internal frictions among the leadership of the Union as at the time. The plan, in my thinking, was destabilised by ego and the leadership tussle. As a people, we are inclined to prioritizing our personal business interest over and against every other thing.
Again, the people that managed the transition obviously did a very bad job. Besides, the improper determination of the government to ensure the realisation of the relocation, I think, fears of uncertainties in the new place played major roles too. I am hopeful that sanity in the plan has been restored now that the government has decided to pilot the relocation plan. I am certain that if it is the present union’s administration that handled it by now, we must have successfully relocated long ago. There is also a salient factor that may have played a role in the delay. People are often reluctant to change due to palpable fears of uncertainty. The feeling of complacency has a way of discouraging many members who are fearful of losing what they are considering advantages in the old place. The idea of the relocation was not effectively presented to the traders. For instance, it is very hard to convince someone with ₦100,000 as capital to relocate to where accommodation alone gulps one million. In fact, people with meagre capital were not encouraged enough to understood the benefits of relocation to Oba. There were no concrete incentives to inspire those with meagre capital in the plan.
What are the measures put in place by your administration to foster cordial relationships with regulatory agencies particularly the NAFDAC?
The only thing that can collapse or sour our relationship with NAFDAC is if we prevent the agency from doing its work in the market. But this will be inconceivable because the agency’s supervisory roles are legitimate and supportive to our various efforts to sanitise the market. They support efforts in maintaining stability and integrity of the market by singling out unscrupulous elements among us and disciplining them according to the rules. We have always supported the agency to ensure that they have the confidence to carry out their tasks. We are disposed to cooperating with NAFDAC and we readily offer the team maximum cooperation. For the sake of emphasise there will never be conflict with NAFDAC because we know that it is government’s establishment and we understood that we benefit from the activities in the market. There is an understanding and we are working in synergy.
No doubt, Onitsha International Drug Market is the biggest and supposedly most organised in Nigeria, what are your immediate problems in areas of infrastructure and security, and how do you wish governments at all levels to intervene?
Since the establishment of this market about 50 years ago, we have carried on autonomously. We built the market by self-effort and we have always well-maintained it through our continuous hard work. The governments at all levels tended to have denigrated the great efforts of Ogbogwu Onitsha. This is very unfortunate. About two years ago the market was engulfed by fire. The fire was caused by an explosion and about 200 shops were destroyed and more than 500 members were badly affected because they lost all they had.
A government agency, NEMA visited and after series of interviews and on the spot assessment of the tragic incidents it promised to help. From then till now nothing has happened as far as it concerns the fulfilment of the promises. Within the two years some people believed to be staff of the agency have been calling us to make one demand or the other. The truth is that we have always been abandoned in times of our greatest need. There is a palpable feeling of discouragement when it comes to making demands to the government. Whatever is the case, we are not relenting, we are moving on with courage and resilience.
We are calling on the government to increase security surveillance of the area. The security in question involves the provision of firefighting equipment for combatting endless fire incidences that distinguished the area. May I stress the intense need for modern storage facilities. The nature of our business demands this storage for the maintenance of some drugs that are weather sensitive. We need stable electricity supply and other facilities suitable to the kind of business we do.
