NAFDAC Burns N535 Million Worth of Fake and Expired Products in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed fake and expired products worth N535 million at its Kuje dump site in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. The products included drugs, food, cosmetics, chemicals, and medical devices that were either seized, voluntarily handed over, or confiscated from hawkers and illegal distributors.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Francis Ononiwu, said the destruction was part of the agency’s efforts to sanitise the food and drug sectors and protect public health. She said the agency had adopted a proactive approach by engaging various stakeholders to sensitise them on the dangers of dealing with substandard and falsified products.

She urged Nigerians to be vigilant and report any suspicious products to NAFDAC. She also warned drug hawkers and fruit sellers who use carbide to ripen fruits to desist from such practices or face the wrath of the law. She said the agency would continue to conduct surveillance and raids on unwholesome products and enforce the regulations governing them in Nigeria.

Some of the products destroyed by NAFDAC were psychoactive and controlled substances, antibiotics, antihypertensives, antimalarials, herbal snuff, and herbal remedies that were either fake, substandard, or expired. Others were food products such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, and non-alcoholic beverages, including a 1 x 40-foot container of unregistered Faurecia instant powdered milk that was handed over to NAFDAC by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Also burned were cosmetics such as creams, lotions, and pomades, including skin-lightening creams seized from spas and beauty centres; chemicals such as fake insecticides and medical devices; as well as expired and unwholesome products voluntarily handed over for destruction by compliant companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN), among others.