The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) destroyed illicit, banned, and substandard pharmaceutical products worth over ₦55.4 billion on Thursday, at a dumpsite in Moniya, Ibadan.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified. In Nigeria, the stakes are lethal; substandard malaria drugs alone contribute to an estimated 267,000 deaths annually.
This destruction exercise follows a similar operation in November where ₦20 billion worth of goods were incinerated. The agency is also preparing to transition into the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) regulatory framework in 2026.
The destroyed items had an estimated street value of ₦55,436,844,470, including falsified antibiotics, anti-malarials, and narcotics like tramadol. Dawn Herald gathered that a significant portion of the goods was voluntarily handed over by 70 compliant companies and NGOs that discovered expired or damaged stock in their own inventories.
The haul is a result of the joint operations involving the Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA, and the Police, targeting warehouses and clandestine factories across the country.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasized that the primary mandate of the agency is to safeguard the health of every Nigerian. Speaking through Deputy Director Florence Ubah, she stated;
The destruction of these products eliminates the risk of their re-entry into circulation. We remain committed to ridding the nation of unwholesome products
NAFDAC is currently in talks with the National Assembly to pass a Counterfeit Medical Products Bill, which would introduce stiffer prison sentences and heavier fines for manufacturers of falsified drugs.
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