The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) took significant action on Thursday by destroying a large quantity of fake, counterfeit, substandard, expired, and unwholesome regulated products valued at approximately N985 million.
During this event in Kano, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by the Director of the North-West Zone, Mrs. Josephine Dayilim, emphasized that this destruction is part of the agency’s efforts to eliminate counterfeit drugs and other fraudulent NAFDAC-regulated items from the market in Nigeria.
Prof. Adeyeye highlighted the importance of removing substandard and falsified medicines from circulation, noting that healthier citizens are crucial for economic prosperity. She explained that a healthy population is more productive, thereby enhancing the nation’s economic well-being.
The items incinerated included a wide range of products, such as substandard and falsely labeled medicines, unwholesome food items, and other counterfeit goods. These products were either seized or voluntarily handed over by various organizations, including NGOs, trade unions, the Nigeria Customs Service, NAPPMED, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.
Among the destroyed items were psychoactive and controlled substances like antibiotics, antihypertensives, antimalarials, analgesics, and herbal remedies. The agency also destroyed food items such as vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, condiments, tomato pastes, and personal care products like creams, pomades, and ointments. Additionally, various chemicals, including insecticides, pesticides, agrochemicals, diagnostic kits, infusion sets, and giving sets, were also incinerated.
Mrs. Dayilim reiterated the importance of adhering to regulatory standards and called on stakeholders to support NAFDAC’s initiatives. She urged the general public, corporate entities, religious leaders, and traditional rulers to join the fight against drug and substance abuse. Health practitioners, community leaders, the media, and all relevant parties are encouraged to educate their communities about the dangers of buying medicines from unqualified sources.
Prof. Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s dedication to protecting public health and called for the continued cooperation of all Nigerians in achieving this goal. Mr. Kasim Idrisa-Ibrahim, the NAFDAC Coordinator in Kano State, explained that in their efforts to clean up the drug distribution system, NAFDAC had relocated medicine sellers from chaotic open markets to a more organized Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in Dangwauro, Kano. This move has significantly contributed to the agency’s success in ensuring safer health practices for Nigerians.
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