Nigeria’s Weak Laws Encouraging Drug Counterfeiting – NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration, and Control (NAFDAC), has lamented  that perpetrators of the illicit trade frequently take advantage of the weak law in Nigeria to wreak havoc on the nation’s health system.

Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General of the agency,who expressed this in Lagos at the weekend,implored  the judiciary to always impose harsher penalties on those convicted of drug counterfeiting, expired processed food, and repugnant cosmetics to serve as a deterrent to others.

She said  following the agency’s ongoing destruction of falsified and expired medicines, cosmetics, and unwholesome food products across the country, it was necessary for the  judiciary to take a tougher stance on counterfeiting and to impose the maximum penalty allowed under the weak laws in order to deter counterfeiters and fraudsters from the dangers they pose to society and all consumers.

According to her, making the dangerous enterprise unappealing by imposing the maximum punishment on violators will make it unattractive.

She also urged with National Assembly members to pass the Counterfeit Medical Products Bill, which will bolster NAFDAC’s fight against counterfeiting in Nigeria.

She warned that there would be no hiding place for death merchants who take pleasure in the unpatriotic act of circulating expired, tainted pharmaceuticals and food products, endangering the health of millions of Nigerians.

She stated that the agency’s  commitment to pursuing those who distribute counterfeit and expired pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and spurious food products in the country until they are captured and made to face the full force of the law.

Prof Adeyeye stated that the agency would not rest till individuals she refers to as merchants of death ceased their nefarious operations following the destruction of almost N5 billion in seized unwholesome products in five months.

She disclosed that the agency destroyed unwholesome medicines, expired processed food items and cosmetics worth N1, 429,580,683.00 in Awka, the capital city of Anambra State in March for South-South and Southeast operations.

In the same month, she  said that such dangerous products worth N613,300,290.00   were destroyed in Kano while the Agency moved to Gombe in May to destroy seized counterfeited and expired medicines, and food items worth N515,732.587 mopped up in the Northeast by the Investigation and Enforcement officials of the Agency led by Barrister Kingsley Ejiofor.

According to Prof Adeyeye, fake and expired medicines, and food products worth N2,482,600,290 seized in the Southwest were destroyed in Shagamu, Ogun State last week.

She  assured Nigerians that the a gency would  continue to arrest people who engage in the illicit business of   endangering the lives of undiscerning consumers who patronize them.

She added:‘’The operatives of the Agency had combed the nooks and crannies of the five geo-political zones of the federation, namely, Northwest, North East, South East, South-South and South West to mop up expired drugs and unwholesome food products with a view to safeguarding the health of the Nigerian people’’, she said.

Adeyeye noted that the destruction was part of the efforts to rid the Nigerian market of unwholesome products and engender public confidence.

 The destroyed products include drugs such as antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarial, herbal remedies, psychoactive, controlled substance.

Food products such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, Chocolates, Noodles, etc. were also destroyed as well as cosmetics such as creams, pomade, and insecticides.

According to her, the continued destruction of the spurious products would eliminate the risk of their reintroduction into the market, noting that drug counterfeit is an act of economic sabotage and poses serious threat to public health.

“It is proof of NAFDAC’s resolve to safeguard the health of the people and ensure that only genuine medicines that are wholesome are sold in Nigeria’’, she said.

“This flag off of the Southwest zonal destruction exercise is in line with our mandate and strategy aimed at eradicating the reintroduction of Expired, Substandard and Falsified (SFs) Medical Products as well as other spurious, unsafe and unwholesome NAFDAC regulated products into circulation in Nigeria.”, she said, adding that, the current NAFDAC management is committed to ensuring that the health of the nation is safeguarded.

“We are committed to eliminating SFs medical products, illicit drugs, unwholesome foods, chemicals, medical devices and other products and will continue to find ways to rid the nation of all these,” she said.

She advised members of the public against patronizing unlabeled products.

“it is pertinent to mention that the fight is capital intensive and we need the support of states, local Governments Councils, Foundations and other corporate bodies.

“I sincerely and openly appreciate the support of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Department of State Security (DSS) and Nigeria Security, Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), other regulatory agencies and stakeholders.

“While appealing for sustained synergy to ensure that we rid the nation of illicit, fake and unwholesome NAFDAC Regulated products,” she said, noting with dismay “This is wicked and must be stopped,”.