The agency is also responsible for combating counterfeit, expired and substandard regulated products and protecting consumers from the health risks associated with them
By Moses Okorie
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised concerns over the increasing counterfeiting of regulated products in Nigeria, warning that criminals are now producing fake medicines, bottled water, toothpaste and herbal products.
Dr Isaac Kolawole, NAFDAC South-West Zonal Director, raised the alarm on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti during a stakeholders’ engagement meeting on the agency’s regulatory activities, consumer protection measures and compliance efforts.
Kolawole said the development posed a greater public health danger than the counterfeiting of non-essential consumer goods because falsified medicines and adulterated food products could result in treatment failure, serious health complications and, in some cases, death.
He said NAFDAC was established under Decree No. 15 of 1993, amended by Decree No. 19 of 1999 and subsequently codified as Cap N1 in 2004, with the mandate to regulate food, drugs, cosmetics and chemicals.
According to him, the agency is also responsible for combating counterfeit, expired and substandard regulated products and protecting consumers from the health risks associated with them.
The zonal director advised Nigerians to purchase medicines from licensed and trusted pharmacies, particularly for critical prescriptions that require proper storage and professional guidance.
He also urged consumers to carefully examine product packaging and labels for signs of counterfeiting, including poor print quality, missing batch numbers and unusual seals.
Kolawole encouraged Nigerians to use NAFDAC’s Mobile Authentication Service (MAS), where available, to verify regulated products before use.
“Read everything on the label carefully before usage and report suspicious items immediately if a common brand tastes or looks wrong. NAFDAC is customer-focused, agency-minded,” he said.
The director also provided updates on product registration, rice fortification and efforts to regulate trans-fatty acids as part of measures to strengthen consumer protection and safeguard public health.
He said the current NAFDAC registration timelines were 120 days for micro food products, 180 working days for small, medium and large food and cosmetics products, and 240 days for drugs and vaccines.
For micro food products, he explained that the process comprised 10 working days for document verification, 20 working days for inspection, 60 working days for laboratory analysis and 30 working days for approval.
On inspection scheduling, Kolawole said applicants were required to generate and pay the applicable vetting and inspection fees before selecting an inspection date for approval by the responsible officers.
Speaking on rice fortification, he said the high level of rice consumption in Nigeria made the staple food an effective vehicle for delivering essential micronutrients to millions of households.
“The rice remains the same. Micronutrients are added in measured quantities. Fortification improves nutrition without changing eating habits,” he said.
Kolawole said the initiative was designed to address deficiencies in nutrients such as iron, zinc, folic acid, B vitamins and vitamin A, adding that the programme was approved in 2021 as a public health intervention.
He explained that rice fortification was currently voluntary but was expected to become mandatory as authorities seek wider adoption of fortified rice products.
According to him, NAFDAC plans to strengthen its laboratories in Lagos and Maiduguri to enhance micronutrient testing, while promoting the Digital Fortification Quality Traceability Plus (DFQT+) system to improve monitoring.
He added that rice millers could apply to NAFDAC for fortification certification, with the process requiring appropriate blending equipment and premix containing iron as ferric pyrophosphate, zinc oxide, vitamins B1 and B12, and folic acid.
He said the certification process would also involve inspection by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC, while importers would be required to present fortification certificates before their products could enter the Nigerian market.
Earlier, the Ekiti State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mrs Stella Dosunmu, commended stakeholders for their participation, saying the turnout demonstrated their commitment to public health and regulatory compliance.
Dosunmu said the engagement was organised to bridge the gap between regulatory requirements and business operations and to improve stakeholders’ understanding of safe manufacturing and compliance practices.
“We are here to deliberate on best manufacturing practices, hygienic food handling, the dangers of substandard and falsified medical products and the streamlined pathways for product registration,” she said.
In his goodwill message, Prof. Samuel Fafure, Chief Executive Officer of Faforum Herbal Medicine, called on NAFDAC management to increase its workforce to enable the agency to strengthen regulatory oversight across the country.