The Federal Government has inaugurated a multi-agency task force to fight the growing threat of fake drugs and unwholesome processed foods across the country.
The Federal and Zonal Task Force, unveiled in Abuja, is part of efforts to safeguard public health and restore public confidence in the nation’s healthcare system.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, described the rise in fake medicines and unsafe food products as a “national emergency” that demands swift, united action.
“Counterfeit drugs and unsafe foods are not just threats to our health; they are threats to our economy, our future, and our lives,” Prof. Pate said.
According to Prof. Pate, the task force, which is a crucial part of President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ in the health sector, will address strengthen regulatory governance, improve population health outcomes, unlock the healthcare value chain and advance national health security
Fake drugs, he warned, worsen conditions like hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and cancer, especially when people unknowingly take ineffective or harmful medications.
“If Nigerians cannot trust the food they eat or the drugs they take, we lose the foundation of public health,” he added.
Prof. Pate warned regulators and enforcement officers not to compromise, saying the health of their own families could be at risk from unsafe products if they fail to do their jobs.
“You may think you’re exempt, but what ends up in the market could end up on your own table,” he said.
Earlier, Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, highlighted the relevance of the task force, noting that over 100 trucks of fake and substandard goods worth more than N1 trillion were seized and destroyed in Onitsha and Ariaria markets between February and March 2025.
She also said the agency arrested several illegal traders and uncovered a vast supply of fake medicines, unregistered drugs, and unsafe processed foods.
Prof. Adeyeye, who reaffirmed the commitment of the agency to tough enforcement, emphasized that sanitizing the system would require collaboration across law enforcement, government, industry, and citizens.
”The establishment of this task force, empowered by the provisions of Cap C 34, is a testament to our collective resolve. It is a recognition that the fight against these illicit products requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach, one that is swift, decisive, and relentless,” she said.
The newly inaugurated task force, with Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, Dr Martins Iluyomade, as chairman, is made up of members from NAFDAC, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), the police, customs, the army, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Both the federal and zonal task forces are to boost surveillance at ports and borders, crack down on illegal drug and food markets, enforce stricter laws on counterfeit products, and educate the public on identifying unsafe products, as well as support honest local manufacturers and producers.
