Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has asked the government and related agencies to cancel the N700,000 fee demanded from traders at the Onitsha Head Bridge Market in Anambra State.

Some time ago, NAFDAC said the market was a major place for selling fake and low-quality medicines, not just in Nigeria but also in other African countries.

In April, NAFDAC announced that the market could reopen. However, shop owners must meet strict rules before opening their shops again. These rules were made to stop fake drug activities from happening again.

Peter Obi said it was wrong to close nearby markets that were not involved in the issue. He believes this action was too harsh and unfair to traders who had nothing to do with selling fake drugs.

He also pointed out that the shop owners had already suffered because of the long closure. Many of them have unpaid bills and are struggling to survive due to the bad economy.

Obi expressed his disappointment that the traders are now being asked to pay N700,000 to reopen their shops. He believes this extra burden is unfair and adds to the pain of people already struggling to earn a living.

He also mentioned that over 7 million small businesses in Nigeria have closed in the past two years. Instead of supporting these businesses, the system is making things worse by adding more pressure.

Peter Obi said he had supported the closure in the beginning to help stop the sale of fake drugs. But he expected the investigation to be done quickly and the market reopened soon to help the traders.

He finished by saying that the government should act with kindness. He called on the authorities to support small businesses during these difficult times instead of making their situation worse.