Residents cry to Sanwo-Olu as fake drugs dealers invade Obalende

By Paul Iyoghojie

Concerned Lagosians and motorists passing through the P&T roundabout, Moloney and Obalende Roundabout Lagos Island, Lagos, Southwest, Nigeria have appealed to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu to, as a matter of urgency, direct the agency concerned to mop up all the suspected fake drugs being sold at the Obalende under the bridges and the P&T Roundabout beside the canal to save the lives of Lagosians patronizing them ignorantly.

Some of those who spoke with P.M.NEWS in the area said they decided to cry out following their observations that the peddlers of the suspected fake drugs are predominantly illiterates who have no formal training in the dispensation of drugs.

They added that the sale of the drugs in the open unchallenged is a dent in the good image of the Lagos State Government and its Megacity status.

They appealed to Gov. Sanwo-Olu to stop the sale of the drugs and mop them up to save lives as, according to them, the drugs are not only dangerous for human consumption but may have also been claiming the lives of unsuspecting members of the public who patronize the peddlers.

They also appealed to Sanwo-Olu to set up a drugs control agency similar to the Federal Government’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to control the selling of fake drugs in the Lagos metropolis to save lives.

According to Mr Patrick Aigbogun, a bus driver, “the drugs being sold at Obalende and its environs are all restamped fake drugs and the peddlers are all illiterates who have no formal education and training in drugs dispensation and can not even express themselves in pidgin English.

“When customers complained of body pain or headache to them for instance, they would package different drugs for them to swallow and the drugs would not work, and in most cases, it would worsen the ailment of the customer leading to hospitalization.

“I am now appealing to Gov. Sanwo-Olu to stop the fake or substandard drugs being sold at Obalende and its environs to save the lives of innocent people patronizing them due to the cheap price of the drugs,” Aigbogun appealed.

Another resident, Mr Timothy John, said: “I am appealing to members of the public to stop buying fake drugs from these peddlers at bus stops and along the road.

“Instead, buy your drugs from identified pharmacy shops so that in case of emergency, you would be able to identify the Pharmacy shop that sold the drugs to you. This is important for safety purposes as government cannot solve the problems alone.”