In the second half of 2024, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) intensified its efforts to curb the production and distribution of counterfeit products in Nigeria. Between July and December, NAFDAC seized and destroyed goods worth N120 billion across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
This action is particularly significant following a period of seeming inaction, during which citizens’ health became increasingly vulnerable due to the rampant sale of substandard products, exacerbated by the rising cost of living, which has not been seen in decades. Key locations affected by this criminal activity include Lagos, Aba, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Counterfeit products seized included medicines, spirits, wines, rice, powdered milk, yogurt, vegetable oil, noodles, bottled water, and carbonated drinks.
In one notable instance in December, NAFDAC destroyed fake drugs worth N11 billion in Ibadan, which were either expired, unregistered, or counterfeit. In Nasarawa, a factory packaging 1,600 bags of fake rice worth over N5 billion was destroyed, and in Aba, 150 shops at the Eziukwu market were shut down, revealing large-scale counterfeit alcoholic drinks and revalidated food items valued at more than N5 billion. Additionally, NAFDAC uncovered counterfeit alcohol packaging centers in Lagos, seizing items worth N2 billion at the Lagos Trade Fair Complex.
The individuals responsible for these illegal activities are a serious threat to public health, and NAFDAC has called for a robust legal response to clamp down on these criminal networks. Given their widespread influence, no region is safe from the reach of these counterfeiters. This calls for a more proactive and effective approach from NAFDAC’s Enforcement, Pharmacovigilance, Investigation, and Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorates.
The scale of these seizures highlights the importance of strengthening NAFDAC’s mandate and ensuring it is adequately resourced to effectively monitor and protect public health. NAFDAC advises the public to be vigilant and watch for red flags such as spelling mistakes on product labels, poor packaging, and unusually shaped bottles. However, these indicators alone may not always suffice. The agency’s use of Truscan technology to identify fake drugs, along with the mobile authentication service featuring unique 10-digit PINs, are valuable tools. Nevertheless, greater awareness about these tools should be promoted, particularly through the National Orientation Agency, to further empower consumers to protect themselves from counterfeit products.
