The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday destroyed fake and expired goods worth over N500 million in Abuja.
Speaking during the exercise, the Director-General of the agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye stated that some of the goods were also voluntarily submitted to the agency.
Represented by Mr Francis Ononiwu, NAFDAC Director of Investigation and Enforcement, the D-G stated that the exercise is carried out routinely all over the country.
The NAFDAC boss said that the destruction of the products were done to prevent their re-introduction to the supply chain.
Adeyeye listed some of the products destroyed as drugs made up of psychoactive and controlled substances like antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarials, herbal snuff and herbal remedies, and drugs confiscated from drug hawkers.
She also listed the food products such as Spaghetti, vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, including 1 by 40ft container of unregistered Faurecia instant powdered milk that was handed over to the agency by the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS).
Others were cosmetics such as creams, lotion, pomade, including skin lightening creams seized from SPAS and beauty centres, chemicals such as fake insecticides and medical devices.
Also destroyed were expired and unwholesome products voluntarily handed over for destruction by complaint companies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN).
According to the NAFDAC boss, the estimated street value of the products being destroyed is N535, 000, 657.00.
“I have said it on several platforms that drug counterfeiting is an act of economic sabotage, and it also represents a serious threat to public health, and NAFDAC under my watch has been repositioned to fight this menace.
“The agency has adopted a proactive approach by engaging political, traditional, faith leaders, journalists and other Nigerians to sensitise their wards on the dangers of dealing on substandard and falsified medicine.
“I wish to use this medium to urge all and sundry to be on the look-out for spurious and counterfeit medicines, unwholesome foods and other regulated products and report same to NAFDAC,” she said.