NAFDAC Incinerates N5bln Substandard, Drugs, Goods in Nasarawa

By Maryanne Awuya

Substandard and unwholesome products including foods, drugs and detergents
valued at N5 billion in Lafia, Nasarawa State, have been destroyed, according to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

The NAFDAC Zonal Director, North Central, Kenneth Azikwe, announced this on Thursday at the destruction site in Angwan Rere, Lafia.

The items, seized from markets and warehouses across Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Niger and Plateau states, were destroyed at the Angwan Rere dumpsite as part of efforts to reduce the circulation of dangerous goods in the North-Central region.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was represented by the North-Central Zonal Director, Kenneth Azikiwe, said the products were confiscated during routine surveillance activities.

Adeyeye said:“The exercise was carried out to prevent the products from returning to the market and urged the public to report those involved in producing or distributing fake or substandard items.”

She confirmed that NAFDAC is stepping up enforcement, conducting detailed inspections of storage and sales points.

This measure ensures that strictly regulated products comply with Goods Distribution and Storage Practices (GDSP), thereby guaranteeing their safety and quality for the consumer.

“It is in the course of carrying out our activities in these states that we recovered this large quantity of items now set for destruction. The items you see here are worth over N5 billion, comprising food, drugs, medical devices, detergents, chemicals and others,” she said.

According to her, some of the seized items had been deliberately revalidated after expiration or concealed by traders seeking to sell them to unsuspecting buyers.

Others were handed over voluntarily by compliant business owners, the NAFDAC boss added.

Adeyeye vowed zero tolerance for unscrupulous traders, stressing that NAFDAC “will not rest in its bid to uphold the mandate of safeguarding the health of the nation.”

She also restated that the agency was committed to actively enforcing standards.

Mr. Usman Baba, Nasarawa State Commissioner for Security and Safety Matters, praised NAFDAC’s enforcement efforts, assuring that the state government would continue to support its measures.

In a related development, Mr. Kenneth Azikiwe, a Pharmacist, NAFDAC’s North Central Zonal Director, warned traders against adding the colouring agent AZODIE to palm oil, describing the practice as harmful.

“This act is done by marketers at night, and it is most unfortunate. The agency will take action against anyone caught engaging in the act.”