It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this destruction exercise, which
is in line with our strategy aimed at eradicating the re-introduction of
Expired, Substandard and Falsified (SFs) Medical Products, as well as
other Spurious, Unsafe and Unwholesome NAFDAC Regulated Products
into circulation in Nigeria.
The products being destroyed today are made up of Substandard and
Falsified Medical Products, Unwholesome Processed Food Products,
Unsafe Cosmetics, Counterfeits and other Expired NAFDAC Regulated
Products seized by the Agency from manufacturers, importers and
distributors. Also up for destruction today are Expired products
voluntarily handed over to the Agency by compliant companies, Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Trade Unions.
The estimated street value of the products scheduled for destruction
today is Two Billion Six Hundred and Seventy Five Million Eight
hundred and Ninety Six Thousand Five Hundred and Thirty Eight
Naira Twenty Kobo (N2, 675,896,538.20). While the street value of
the banned Tramadol is Two Hundred and Eighty Three Million
Five Hundred Thousand Naira. (N283,500,000.00).
The current Management has been given the mandate by the
government of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the health
of Nigerians is safeguarded. In line with this mandate, the Agency
stepped up its prevention, detection and response activities towards
the elimination of SFs, Unwholesome Foods and counterfeiting of all
NAFDAC Regulated Products in the preceding year by training and
retraining of relevant NAFDAC staff.
Furthermore, the Agency has taken the following strides in the fight
against counterfeiting in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2019:
Investigation & Enforcement officers intercepted a trailer transporting
assorted Pharmaceutical products to an unknown destination. The
importer, Mr. Luke Mbah, has been arraigned at the Federal High Court,
Lagos for smuggling banned and fake 488 cartons of Barcadin with
Codeine (cough syrup), Fake 207 cartons of Afrodiac Diclofenac
Potassium tablets, Fake 44 cartons of Feed-Fine Cyproheptadine tablets
(50mg each) and Fake 190 cartons of De Really Extra (Diclofenac
Sodium tablet) worth Three Hundred and Eleven Million, Seven
Thousand Naira (₦311,000,700.00)
One Mr. Madubuike Chukwunonye who allegedly sold Cough Syrup
with Codeine to a BBC undercover agent in April, 2018 was arraigned at
the Federal High Court, Lagos. The defendant was on the run after a
documentary on the alleged transaction was aired by BBC and the
Nigeria Police Squad of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake
Drugs and unwholesome processed Foods invited him for interview. He
was arrested by the Nigeria Police at Idiroko border while trying to flee
to Benin Republic. He was subsequently handed over to the Agency for
prosecution.
One businessman, Mr. Ebenezer Arimiwem, was convicted of the
manufacture, distribution, packaging, labelling and processing of
different brands of Counterfeit Cosmetic Products and was sentenced
to fifteen months in prison without an option of fine.
In 2016, Alh. Yakubu Kabiru smuggled a 40ft container laden with 1,800
bags of Green Arrow Fibre Mosquito coil worth Seventy-Two Million
Naira (N72, 000,000) into the country through the Seme Border. He was
convicted by the Federal High Court, Lagos, and a fine of One Million
and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1, 050,000) imposed on him. The court also
ordered that the contraband be forfeited to the Agency for destruction
and the cost thereof to be borne by him. The contraband is among the
products scheduled for destruction today.
I would like to use this medium to thank the judiciary for their
continued support and also appeal to them to take sterner view of
counterfeiting and apply stiffer sanctions to deter counterfeiters,
because of the danger they have posed, continue and still pose to the
society and all consumers of their dangerous products.
Let me also plead with the National Assembly to pass the Counterfeit
Medical Products Bill that will strengthen the Agency’s fight against
counterfeiting in Nigeria. It is pertinent to mention that the fight is
capital intensive and we need the support of the States, Local
Government Councils and all credible and responsible Corporate
Bodies.
We want at this juncture to reiterate that the return of the Agency to
the Ports and Borders, and our close collaboration with the Nigeria
Customs Service has immensely boosted our interception of several
containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products including banned
Tramadol of high strengths that were destined for the Nigerian market.
We commend also the Nigeria Police for their immense support and
collaboration with the Agency. We implore their Formations across the
Federation to share information and promptly transfer cases on
Counterfeit, Spurious, Unregistered and Unsafe Food, Drugs,
Cosmetics, Medical Devices, Detergent, Bottled Water and Chemicals to
the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and
Unwholesome Processed Foods, Investigation and Enforcement
Directorate or the nearest NAFDAC office for prompt prosecution
and/or regulatory action.
We sincerely thank all our invited guests for honouring our invitation
and continue to solicit their support and that of all consumers in our
quest to completely eliminate the incidence of counterfeit and spurious
NAFDAC Regulated Products from our beloved country.
Thank you for listening.
God bless you all, God bless NAFDAC and God bless the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
