Nigerian pharmacies increasing cost of hand sanitisers and face masks will be sanctioned - CPC

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission says pharmacies found to be exploiting the coronavirus epidemic by increasing the cost of hand sanitisers and face masks will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, said this in a statement on Saturday.

There had been complaints on social media of people paying more than five times the normal cost of hand sanitisers.


A Facebook user, Farida Ladipo-Ajayi, who posted a picture of the transaction details as evidence, said she bought a 500ml Enliven Hand gel at Medmark Pharmacy, Gbagada, Lagos, at the cost of N19, 950.

Prior to the epidemic, the 500ml cost less than N4,000.

The FCCPC said the act of increasing the cost of such items was at variance with the law.

The commission said the inordinate and unusual practice of unreasonably increasing the price of these products in an indiscriminate manner on account of the public health concern violates both moral codes and extant law.