The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday destroyed counterfeit, expired, banned, and substandard products valued at ₦20 billion during its South-West Zonal Destruction Flag-off Ceremony at the Moniya Dumpsite in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Leading the exercise, NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Adeyeye explained that the destruction was part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect public health and prevent unsafe and falsified products from re-entering the market.
Adeyeye was represented by Pharmacist Uba Florence N, Deputy Director of Pharmaceuticals Investigation and Enforcement, NAFDAC, Apapa, Lagos. She described the event as a standard regulatory action aligned with NAFDAC’s mandate to eliminate substandard and falsified medicines, unsafe food, illicit drugs, harmful cosmetics, and other contraband items.
“This exercise is aimed at ensuring that expired, falsified, and unwholesome NAFDAC-regulated products never find their way back into our markets or homes,” she said.
According to her, the items destroyed comprised substandard and falsified medicines, unsafe processed foods and additives, counterfeit cosmetics, and other expired products seized from manufacturers, importers, and distributors across the South-West.
Adeyeye disclosed that the destruction also included damaged and expired items voluntarily handed over by compliant companies, non-governmental organisations, and trade unions, a gesture she commended as evidence of growing industry responsibility.
She expressed appreciation to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its consistent collaboration, noting that the agency recently handed over 25 containers of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals for destruction, including a reefer container.
The NAFDAC boss also lauded the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services (DSS), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for their sustained support in the nationwide campaign against counterfeiters.
Adeyeye, who restated the agency’s zero-tolerance stance on fake and unwholesome products, urged Nigerians to avoid patronising quacks and unauthorised medicine dealers, warning that such actions endanger lives.
“We call on community leaders, health practitioners, religious figures, and the media to help educate the public about the dangers of fake and substandard drugs. This fight is a collective responsibility,” she said.
The destruction exercise, witnessed by representatives of security agencies, health institutions, and civil society groups, reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerians consume only safe and high-quality regulated products.
