I don’t support collective punishment for the offenses of a few individuals in any society.
If three members of a community commit a crime, the entire community should not be punished for the actions of a few. This has always been my view.
If you punish the entire community for the crime of a few, you are only saying that there is no incentive for doing good.
NAFDAC is wrong for closing the entire market due to the actions of a few. Why not arrest those involved?
Why close down the entire micro-economy (market) of Nigerians?
It is pure laziness on the part of public institutions like NAFDAC to close the entire drug market because they allege that some individuals were dealing in unregistered or fake drugs.
You have the power to investigate, segregate those responsible, and allow those who comply with your rules to continue their business.
Why should I suffer for a crime I did not commit?
This has been a harmful culture in many Nigerian public institutions.
For example, I remember when the entire Odi community in Bayelsa State was leveled to the ground by the Nigerian Army for offenses committed by a few members of the community. It also happened in Zakibiam, Benue State, and more recently in Okuma, Delta State, where the Nigerian Army almost wiped out the entire community for crimes committed by a few members.
NAFDAC should arrest or close the businesses of those who went against their rules, not punish the entire market.
This is the wrong approach. Nigeria should stop treating good citizens the same way bad-behaved citizens are treated.
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control should reconsider their approach and protect those that are complying with government regulations by allowing them to continue with their businesses.
Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia
February 26, 2025
