Fake Products: No To Merchants Of Death

There is something profoundly evil about a person who knowingly manufactures fake drugs, adulterates food, counterfeits alcoholic drinks or sells substandard products simply to make money. It is an act of greed that places human life beneath personal profit. In Nigeria, the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard products has become a grave public concern that demands urgent, uncompromising action from the government, regulatory agencies and law enforcement authorities.

From fake medicines and contaminated food to adulterated cooking oil, counterfeit alcoholic beverages and substandard industrial products, the Nigerian market faces a dangerous threat. These products do not merely cheat consumers; they can cause serious illness, undermine treatment, damage vital organs and, in the worst cases, lead to death.

Every Nigerian deserves the right to purchase a product without fearing that it could become a death sentence. Yet, the activities of unscrupulous manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers have turned ordinary shopping into a potential gamble with human health.

The merchants of counterfeit products must be condemned in the strongest terms. They are not merely dishonest businesspeople; those who knowingly place dangerous products on the market are endangering innocent lives. Their conduct is especially reprehensible because consumers often have no reliable way of distinguishing a genuine product from a convincing counterfeit.

A patient who purchases fake medication may believe they are treating an illness when the drug contains insufficient active ingredients, the wrong substances or no effective medicine at all. Adulterated food and drinks can expose consumers to harmful substances, while substandard products can create additional risks in homes, workplaces and industries.

It would be inaccurate to attribute every case of kidney disease, liver damage or other organ complications in Nigeria to counterfeit products. However, exposure to certain toxic substances and unsafe products can cause serious harm. This is precisely why effective regulation, laboratory testing and market surveillance cannot be treated as optional responsibilities.

The people behind these criminal enterprises must understand that no amount of profit can justify gambling with the lives of millions.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) must rise to the scale of this challenge.

NAFDAC has statutory responsibilities concerning the regulation and control of medicines, food, beverages and other products under its mandate. SON, on its part, is responsible for developing and enforcing standards, product certification and monitoring compliance with applicable quality requirements.

These are not ceremonial responsibilities. They are public duties with direct consequences for human safety.

Nigerians must therefore demand more than occasional raids, public announcements, product seizures and photographs of destroyed counterfeit goods. Such operations may be necessary, but they cannot be the ultimate measure of regulatory success.

What happens after an arrest? How many suspects are prosecuted? How many convictions are secured? Which manufacturers lose their licences? How quickly are dangerous products withdrawn from circulation? What happens to distributors who repeatedly violate safety regulations?

These are the questions that NAFDAC and SON must answer with verifiable figures and regular public reports.

A September 2026 report by BusinessDay, based on enforcement records and regulatory disclosures, raised concerns about the number of counterfeit-product investigations pursued to prosecution. The report stated that NAFDAC pursued 40 cases out of 5,210 cases investigated between 2023 and 2025. The figures warrant a clear explanation from the agency, including the status of the remaining cases and the legal or evidentiary reasons for their outcomes.

The federal government must provide regulatory agencies with adequate funding, modern laboratories, trained personnel and effective surveillance systems. But funding must go hand in hand with measurable performance and accountability.

NAFDAC and SON should intensify inspections of factories, warehouses, open markets, distribution centres and points of entry into the country. Suspected products must undergo prompt laboratory analysis, and confirmed offenders must face prosecution under the law. Where appropriate, licences should be withdrawn, facilities shut down and dangerous products recalled.

Investigations must also reach the financiers, suppliers and distribution networks behind counterfeit operations. Arresting a few street vendors while the principal manufacturers remain untouched will not solve the problem.

Regulatory agencies must also guard against corruption, conflicts of interest and the possibility that unscrupulous businesses could exploit weaknesses in inspection and certification processes. Any official found colluding with counterfeiters must face appropriate disciplinary and legal consequences.

Consumers also have a role to play by purchasing from credible outlets, checking product registration and authentication details, reporting suspicious goods and avoiding products with questionable packaging or labelling. However, the responsibility must not be shifted from regulators and manufacturers to consumers who may lack the technical knowledge to identify sophisticated counterfeits.

Nigeria cannot build a healthy, productive society while dangerous products circulate with impunity. The government must treat this menace as a matter of public safety, economic integrity and national responsibility.

The message to counterfeiters must be unmistakable: human lives are not commodities, and the market is not a killing field for greedy profiteers.

NAFDAC and SON must demonstrate that their mandates translate into safer markets, effective prosecutions and fewer dangerous products reaching consumers. Nigerians deserve answers, measurable results and protection, not merely assurances.

A country that allows criminals to profit from poisoning its people must urgently confront its priorities. The time for excuses is over. The time for accountability is now.