The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has announced the destruction of seized products worth over ₦120 billion across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory between July and December 2024.
This revelation came in a yuletide message from NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, as detailed in a statement signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, on Sunday.
The agency also assured Nigerians of its proactive measures to protect public health throughout the festive period and beyond.
Adeyeye highlighted the importance of maintaining food safety during the celebrations, urging consumers to buy food and beverages only from traceable outlets.
She stressed the dangers of consuming medicines and packaged food items without NAFDAC registration numbers, warning that unusually low-priced products could indicate compromised quality.
“The agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate is continuing its mop-up of substandard and falsified medicines, as well as unwholesome food items from markets nationwide,” Adeyeye stated.
She explained that officers from several directorates, including Investigation and Enforcement, Pharmacovigilance, and Post-Marketing Surveillance, are actively seizing falsified medicines, counterfeit alcoholic beverages, and unwholesome food products that could pose risks to public health during the yuletide season.
In December alone, NAFDAC destroyed expired and unregistered drugs worth ₦11 billion in Ibadan. In Lagos, counterfeit alcoholic drinks and fake medicines valued at billions of naira were confiscated.
Meanwhile, in Nasarawa State, the agency uncovered a facility producing fake rice and seized over 1,600 bags, collectively worth ₦5 billion.
Additionally, in Aba, Abia State, NAFDAC shut down 150 shops involved in the production of counterfeit goods, including beverages, spirits, and revalidated food items, with an estimated market value of ₦5 billion.
Reaffirming the agency’s dedication to safeguarding public health, Adeyeye declared NAFDAC’s commitment to ensuring that only safe, high-quality food and medicines are available in Nigerian markets.
She vowed to intensify efforts to eliminate counterfeiters, whom she described as “merchants of death.”
