The debate over NAFDAC fake drugs in Nigeria has taken a new turn after the agency’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, came under criticism for saying many Nigerians are ignorant and do not read safety information on products.
Adeyeye made the comments during a BusinessDay TV interview published on October 5, 2026, while explaining NAFDAC’s responsibilities across the food chain. She said many Nigerians do not read or understand safety instructions and stressed that NAFDAC’s mandate covers processed and semi-processed foods, not fresh produce sold directly in markets.
Why the NAFDAC remark has caused backlash
The comment comes at a sensitive time. Nigerians are already raising concerns about fake medicines, food, drinks, cosmetics and other products being sold in the country.
Actresses Ruth Kadiri and Ngozi Ezeonu have both publicly called for stronger action against counterfeit and potentially unsafe products. Kadiri described fake products as a threat to human life, while Ezeonu raised concerns about fake medicines and baby food and questioned what authorities were doing to protect consumers.
Critics argue that telling consumers to read labels does not remove the regulator’s responsibility to ensure that products entering the market are safe in the first place. The debate has also revived comparisons with the late Dora Akunyili, whose tenure as NAFDAC director-general became strongly associated with aggressive action against counterfeit drugs.
NAFDAC says enforcement is already happening
The agency’s recent record provides another side to the argument. In September, Adeyeye said NAFDAC had removed 7,210 fake, substandard and other non-compliant products during nationwide surveillance between May and July 2026. The agency inspected 6,233 facilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory during the same period.
NAFDAC also said it receives more than 200 complaints about suspected counterfeit products each month. In August alone, the agency reportedly received 225 such complaints.
The bigger issue is who carries the responsibility
The NAFDAC fake drugs Nigeria debate now goes beyond one controversial statement. It raises a larger question about how much responsibility should sit with consumers and how much should sit with regulators, manufacturers and sellers.
Consumers clearly need to check registration numbers, expiry dates, packaging and authorised sources. But effective regulation also requires inspection, laboratory testing, enforcement and punishment for those who deliberately put dangerous products into the market.
With public concern growing, the pressure on NAFDAC is likely to be measured not only by what its leadership says, but by how effectively it can keep unsafe products away from Nigerian consumers.
