The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has told all shop owners at the Bridgehead drug market in Onitsha, Anambra State, to sign an agreement through their union. This comes as NAFDAC reopened the market and others nearby after shutting them down for a month—from February 10 to March 7—for cleanup and to enforce rules. Only shops that follow these rules can start selling again, and penalties will hit those who broke distribution laws before.

The closure, which also happened in Kano, Idumota, Yaba, and Onitsha, aimed to fix problems with how medicines were being handled. NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a Thursday statement that tough new conditions are now in place to stop those issues from popping up again. “Shop owners had to fill out paperwork and get cleared before we’d unlock their stores,” she explained. “We set up a special NAFDAC desk to make it smooth and make sure everyone meets safety standards. Medicines affect people’s health and national security, so we’re strict about this.”

She added that NAFDAC’s job under its law is to keep drug sales safe and proper. Adeyeye also thanked the market leaders and Anambra State Government for helping make the process work.