The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed more than 618 tonnes of counterfeit, expired and substandard products worth an estimated N10.19 billion in Kano State, in a renewed crackdown on the circulation of unsafe regulated items.
The destruction exercise, which covered the North-West region, was carried out on Thursday at the Kalibawa disposal site in Kano. The items were seized from illegal operators involved in the manufacture, importation and distribution of fake pharmaceutical products, food items, cosmetics, agrochemicals and medical devices.
Addressing stakeholders at the event, NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the action underscored the agency’s firm resolve to protect public health and eliminate hazardous products from Nigerian markets.
Represented by the agency’s North-West Zonal Director, Mr. Fraden Nantim-Mullah, Adeyeye warned that individuals profiting from counterfeit and adulterated products were placing millions of lives at risk and would be made to face the full weight of the law.
Among the destroyed items were fake antibiotics, antimalarial drugs, antihypertensives, pain relievers, herbal medicines and controlled substances. Also incinerated were contaminated food products, including cooking oils, beverages, sachet water, seasonings and tomato paste.
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The haul further included cosmetics formulated with prohibited chemicals, falsified agrochemicals and counterfeit medical devices such as diagnostic kits and infusion materials.
Adeyeye reiterated that NAFDAC remains legally mandated to ensure that all regulated products in circulation meet approved standards of safety, quality and effectiveness, stressing that enforcement actions would be intensified nationwide.
She also referenced Nigeria’s recent attainment of the World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level Three and NAFDAC’s admission into the International Council for Harmonisation, developments she said have enhanced international confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory system. According to her, efforts are ongoing to reach WHO Maturity Level Four.
Speaking on behalf of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the state Ministry of Health, Pharm. Kamilu Yakasai, praised NAFDAC for the exercise, describing it as vital to protecting citizens from harmful products.
Yakasai pledged the state government’s continued cooperation and called for improved coordination in the prompt destruction of expired and confiscated medicines from health facilities to prevent their diversion back into the market.
