The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confirmed the destruction of counterfeit products valued at over ₦120 billion across Nigeria within six months.
The effort, spanning from July to December 2024, was carried out across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), according to the agency’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
In a yuletide message signed by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, Prof. Adeyeye reassured Nigerians of the agency’s dedication to public health safety, especially during the festive season.
She advised citizens to buy food and beverages only from trusted outlets with traceable addresses, enabling effective monitoring.
The agency has intensified its crackdown on substandard products, as well as expired and unregistered goods, through its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate.
“Officers from the Investigation and Enforcement, Pharmacovigilance, and Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorates are in the field confiscating falsified medicines, fake wines and drinks, and unwholesome food products that could jeopardize public health during the festive season,” Adeyeye stated.
Recent operations include the destruction of expired and unregistered drugs worth ₦11 billion in Ibadan. In Lagos, counterfeit alcoholic beverages and fake medicines worth billions of naira were seized. In Nasarawa State, officials discovered a factory packaging fake rice, confiscating over 1,600 bags valued at ₦5 billion.
NAFDAC also closed 150 shops in Aba, Abia State, where large-scale counterfeit production was uncovered, including beverages and revalidated food items valued at ₦5 billion.
Prof. Adeyeye reiterated NAFDAC’s mission to protect Nigerians, vowing to intensify operations against counterfeiters. She described these individuals as “merchants of death,” reaffirming the agency’s resolve to eliminate unsafe products from the market.
