The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) conducted a destruction exercise in Abuja, where fake and expired goods worth over N500 million were destroyed. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, explained that some of the goods were voluntarily submitted to the agency. The exercise is part of routine operations carried out nationwide to prevent the reintroduction of these products into the supply chain.

The destroyed products included drugs containing psychoactive and controlled substances, such as antibiotics, antihypertensives, antimalarials, herbal snuff, and herbal remedies. Additionally, confiscated drugs from drug hawkers were destroyed. Food products like spaghetti, vegetable oil, and non-alcoholic beverages were also disposed of. Furthermore, cosmetics such as creams, lotions, and skin lightening creams seized from spas and beauty centers, as well as fake insecticides and medical devices, were destroyed.

Expired and unwholesome products voluntarily handed over by complaint companies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN) were also included in the destruction. The estimated street value of the destroyed products amounted to N535,000,657.00.

Prof Adeyeye emphasized that drug counterfeiting is an act of economic sabotage and a serious threat to public health. NAFDAC has been repositioned to combat this menace and has adopted a proactive approach by engaging various stakeholders to raise awareness about the dangers of dealing with substandard and falsified medicines. She urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious products to NAFDAC.

The event was attended by officials from the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), including Mr. Isiaku Gamajira, the FCT Coordinator. He highlighted the importance of product certification to avoid rejection of Nigerian products abroad. SON has been carrying out compliance activities, including the seizure and destruction of substandard products. Mr. Enejoh Amade, Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) FCT Chapter, expressed his association's commitment to supporting NAFDAC in eliminating substandard drugs. They had collaborated with NAFDAC by providing expired drugs collected from ACPN members for the destruction exercise.

Naijamatta is a social networking site,

download Naijamatta from Google play store or visit www.naijamatta.com to register. You can post, comment, do voice and video call, join and open group, go live etc. Join Naijamatta family, the Green app.