The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday destroyed fake and substandard goods worth over N4.2bn in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Speaking during the exercise that took place at the Aswama Dumpsite at Umuzocha (by Anambra State secretariat complex), the Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the exercise was in line with the agency’s mandate of eradicating fake and other spurious NAFDAC regulated products from circulating in Nigeria.
Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Investigation and Enforcement and chairman, Federal Task Force of the agency, Mr Francis Ononiwu, added that the exercise that led to the seizure of the products was a combined South-East and South-South zonal exercise carried out periodically, starting from 2020.
According to her, the destruction of fake items was a proof of NAFDAC’s resolve to safeguard the health of the nation and ensure that only genuine medicines and wholesome foods of the right qualities are imported, exported, manufactured, distributed and sold in Nigeria.
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She added, “The estimated street value of the products being destroyed today is worth N4.2bn. The products are made up of spurious, counterfeited, substandard and falsified medicinal products, unwholesome processed food products and several other unsafe regulated products seized from various manufacturers, importers and distributors in the combined team of South-East and South-South zones.
She thanked the various security operatives and the investigative team of the agency as well as other stakeholders for their collaborations.
The products included antibiotics, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, anti-asthmatic, aphrodisiacs, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, herbal remedies and psychoactive drugs.
Others were banned drugs such as analgin, tramadol(above 100mg), gentamycin 280mg and controlled substances, vaccines, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, chemicals and unwholesome food, among others.
Also present at the exercise were representatives of various trade unions, market leaders, manufacturers and other critical stakeholders in the sector.
The Head, Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Emmanuel Uchenna, thanked NAFDAC, saying, “We appreciate what the agency is doing in the area of sanitising the health sector and making sure the people consume good and genuine products.”
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