The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the destruction of counterfeit, substandard, expired, and unwholesome regulated products worth approximately N985 million.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this during the burning exercise.
Represented by the Director of the North-West Zone, Mrs. Josephine Dayilim, Adeyeye emphasized the agency’s commitment to eradicating fake drugs and other spurious NAFDAC-regulated products from circulation.
The destruction of counterfeit goods
“Removal of Substandard and Falsified Medicines (SFs) from circulation will make Nigerians healthier. And since only a healthy body can contribute positively to the economy, it will make Nigerians wealthier and the economy better,” Adeyeye stated.
“The handling and disposal of NAFDAC wastes, like today’s exercise, is in line with our strategy aimed at eradicating fake drugs and other spurious NAFDAC Regulated Products from circulation in Nigeria.”
The destroyed goods included substandard, fake, and falsely labeled medicines, unwholesome food products, and other counterfeit items seized and voluntarily handed over by non-governmental organizations, trade unions, the Nigeria Customs Service, the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED), and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).
- Among the items destroyed were medicines consisting of psychoactive and controlled substances such as antibiotics, antihypertensives, antimalarials, analgesics, and herbal remedies.
- The agency also destroyed food items such as vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, condiments, and tomato pastes.
- Additionally, various creams, pomades, ointments, insecticides, pesticides, agrochemicals, diagnostic kits, infusion and giving sets, and other chemicals were included in the incineration.
“They are not mere substandard goods; they are potential instruments of harm that could devastate families and derail our nation’s progress.
“By destroying these items, we send a clear message: there is no place for counterfeit and unsafe products in Nigeria.’’
Adeyeye urged relevant stakeholders to adhere strictly to all regulatory measures to ensure public health and safety.
“We solicit the cooperation of the general public, corporate bodies, religious leaders, and traditional rulers in our effort to eradicate the menace of drug and substance abuse.”
“Health practitioners, community leaders, the press, and all stakeholders are hereby encouraged not to relent in educating their wards and family members on the dangers of patronizing quacks and hawkers of medicines on the street,” she added.
What you should know
Reiterating the agency’s dedication to safeguarding the health of Nigerians, Adeyeye called for collective efforts to achieve NAFDAC’s mandate.
- NAFDAC Coordinator in Kano State, Mr. Kasim Idrisa-Ibrahim, highlighted the agency’s initiatives to sanitize the drug distribution network.
- One significant step has been the relocation of medicine sellers from the chaotic open market to a Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) at Dangwauro, Kano.
“The coordinated wholesale centre has paved the way for NAFDAC to start recording successes in safeguarding the health of Nigerians,” Idris-Ibrahim noted.