Yesterday in Awka, the capital of Anambra State, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, or NAFDAC, destroyed false, unwholesome, counterfeit, and substandard goods and products valued over N4.2 billion.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said during the exercise that took place at the Anambra State Waste Management Agency, ASWAMA Dumpsite at Umuzocha (by the Anambra State secretariat complex), that the exercise was in line with the agency’s mandate to stop fake and other dubious NAFDAC-regulated products from circulating in Nigeria.
Francis Ononiwu, the agency’s Head of the Task Force team, attended the occasion in Adeyeye’s place and noted that the exercise was a recurring joint South-East and South-South zonal devastation.
She continued that the contaminated items were confiscated as part of an operation carried out by the agency’s investigation and enforcement team in different South-East and South-South zones starting in 2020.
She stated: “The products were made up of fake, counterfeited, substandard, and falsified pharmaceuticals, unwholesome processed foods, and several other unsafe regulated products seized from various manufacturers, importers, and distributors in the combined team of South-East and South-South zones.
“Among the items are those that have expired, been deflected, or have been voluntarily recalled by South-East and South-South market unions, non-governmental organizations, and conforming businesses.
The “Investigation and Enforcement Directorate Unit in Asaba, Delta State has enhanced enforcement activities in the South-East and South-South zones, and the agency has made several seizures of controlled and prohibited products being distributed by some unscrupulous elements and endangering public health.”
The Head of NAFDAC stated that the items’ destruction would remove the possibility of being reintroduced onto the Nigerian market and serve as evidence of the organization’s commitment to preserving public health.
She expressed her gratitude to all of the security personnel, the agency’s investigation team, and other participants for their contributions to the success of the exercise.
Antibiotics, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, anti-asthmatic, aphrodisiacs, antimalarials, anti-inflammatory, herbal medicines, and psychotropic medications are some of the goods available.
Related News
Other prohibited substances included vaccinations, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, cosmetics, chemicals, and unwholesome food, as well as analgesics, tramadol (above 100mg), gentamycin, and restricted narcotics.
Representatives of numerous trade unions, market titans, manufacturers, and other crucial players in the industry were also present for the exercise.
Emmanuel Uchenna Ubache, a member of the caretaker committee of Onitsha’s Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market, who led others to witness the event, thanked NAFDAC and said, “We appreciate what the agency is doing in the area of sanitizing the health sector and ensuring that people consume excellent and genuine products. We wholeheartedly support initiatives to purge marketplaces of fraudulent goods.
