From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced on Sunday that it has taken delivery of 16 containers of substandard and falsified pharmaceutical products and unwholesome tomato paste, with an estimated street value of N20.5 billion, intercepted at Onne Port, Port Harcourt.
In a statement issued by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, the consignment included 11 containers of various unregistered and banned pharmaceutical products and four containers of unwholesome tomato paste. The seized items comprised 1.3 million bottles of codeine syrup (a highly controlled prescription-only medicine), 12.6 million tablets of tramadol (a highly addictive prescription-only drug for post-operative pain management), 9.3 million tablets of substandard and falsified diclofenac tablets (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), and 280 packages of Hyergra tablets (a falsified brand of sildenafil citrate for erectile dysfunction).
The statement noted that the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale潇
System: wale Adeniyi, handed over the consignments to NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, at Onne Port on Saturday, August 2, 2025.
Prof. Adeyeye commended the Customs Service for their collaboration in combating the importation of illicit, substandard, and unwholesome products, sending a stern warning to importers and their collaborators. She stated, “I warn unscrupulous merchants both at home and abroad that, under our watch, substandard and fake food and drug products will not be allowed access to our people. Recent threats of death, kidnapping of our staff, and other attempts to dampen our zeal will continue to fail, because God, as well as our people, are on our side.”
She urged Nigerians to partner with NAFDAC by reporting suspected cases of manufacture, importation, distribution, or sale of fake and substandard products through NAFDAC’s offices or social media channels. Adeyeye highlighted the health risks of consuming unwholesome products, including acute food poisoning, gastrointestinal illness, nutritional deficiencies, chronic organ damage, increased cancer risk, allergic and respiratory reactions, and food addiction or cognitive disruption from expired ultra-processed foods high in sugar, fat, or salt.
Prof. Adeyeye emphasised the need for strong institutional cooperation and pledged to evolve new strategies to partner with organisations and individuals to build a safer and healthier nation, noting that safeguarding public health is a collective responsibility.
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