No less than N1.32 billion worth of unwholesome goods have been destroyed by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The destroyed goods, which were generated from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, included drugs, cosmetics, beverages and other regulated products.
The goods were said to be destroyed because they were expired, substandard, counterfeited and banned. This is according to the NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
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Adeyeye, who was represented by the director, Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, Kingsley Ejiofor made known that 80% of the destroyed items were drug-related products.
Speaking further, Adeyeye emphasized the fact that the agency would not tolerate the sale of counterfeit products which she said posed a lot of danger to the health of people. She called on all Nigerians to endeavour to report cases of unwholesome or counterfeit products so that appropriate actions would be taken.
“The cost of what is being destroyed is valued at about N1.32 billion and 80 per cent is drugs, others are cosmetics and other regulated products.
“Imagine if these products are in circulation, consider what it will mean to public health. This is why we are encouraging people to report cases of counterfeited, expired and suspected unwholesome products to NAFDAC,” Adeyeye stated.
Also present at the exercise was the Enugu Zonal Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mrs. Olajumoke Ojetokun who was optimistic about NAFDAC’s actions. She praised NAFDAC for its positive disposition of its stakeholders to its sanitisation efforts.
Ojetokun said the agency was determined to ensure that the Southeast markets for NAFDAC regulated product were free of expired, counterfeited, banned and unwholesome products.
About NAFDAC: The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and packaged water in Nigeria.
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