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A nongovernmental organization, The Patriots, has called on the
National Assembly to pass a law to prescribe death penalty on anyone found
guilty of aiding and abetting production and distribution of counterfeit drugs
in the country.

The organization made the appeal at the 8th edition of its free
mobile clinic held at Papalanto, in Ewekoro Local Government area of Ogun
State. President of the organization, Olatubosun Fadeyi, said introduction of
death penalty for producers and hawkers of substandard drugs would prevent
perennial problems of loss of lives as a result of consumption of these drugs.

“The government should also come up with a legislation which
will establish a death penalty for anyone guilty of aiding and abetting the
production and distributions of fake drugs in the country,” he said. Mr Fadeyi,
who is also the Senior Registrar, Family Medicine, Sacred Heart Hospital,
Lantoro, Abeokuta expressed worry that many Nigerians have lost their lives due
to lack of access to modern healthcare services.

“It is disturbing to note that many of our people are dying
slowly of ailments which could have been prevented had our governments put in
place adequate health enlightenment programmes,” he said. “It is pertinent to recognize
the fact that the government cannot do it alone. It requires the concerted
efforts of all and sundry, this is why The Patriots came in to educate and
enlighten people on health-related matters, as well as provide free healthcare
services.”

Stop the crime

The Permanent Secretary in the Ogun State Ministry of Project
Monitoring, Tokunbo Odebunmi, said the group’s call was one way to stop the
crime. “Death sentence is synonymous to the people who can kill like armed
robbers,” he said. “Anybody that produces fake drugs wants to kill, so, if he
is caught before he kills, he should be killed too before he kills anybody. I
don’t have anything against very penal and stiff penalty against fake drugs
hawkers, because of money you want to kill other people. I don’t think that is
good.”

The representative of Lafarge, the company that sponsored the exercise,
Irene Adesina, advised beneficiaries to use the free drugs given to them as
prescribed by the physicians and urged the people in the community to support their
leaders for the development of the area. “Three months ago, they (The Patriots)
came to us and we supported them financially; they must be commended because
despite their educational background, they are involved in social services,”
she said. Over 500 people were given free medical services, including screening
for diabetes, hypertension, mass de worming exercise, health education and free
distribution of drugs worth N800, 000