Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the spread of counterfeit and substandard drugs and consumer products in Nigeria.
He also demanded the removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and the heads of other regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
Adeyanju made the demands amid renewed public concern over suspected fake medicines, food, beverages, cosmetics, toothpaste and other consumer products circulating in Nigerian markets.
The concerns have intensified following reports of counterfeit products and alleged failures of NAFDAC and SON to prevent dangerous goods from entering the market.
NAFDAC recently disclosed that counterfeiters who previously operated outside Nigeria were increasingly establishing production and distribution networks within the country.
The agency said investigations into suspected fake toothpaste and other products had led to arrests and seizures in several states, while two suspects were being prosecuted over alleged counterfeit toothpaste importation.
In a statement on Tuesday, Adeyanju described the situation as a “complete collapse of regulation” in critical sectors, warning that Nigerians were being exposed to dangerous products daily.
He said reports of drugs being sold wholesale in the open under the hot sun further showed the scale of the problem.
“No responsible government should expose its citizens to such risks and expect mortality rates not to rise,” Adeyanju said.
He accused NAFDAC of failing to effectively curb the circulation of fake and substandard products and extended the criticism to SON and other agencies responsible for consumer protection.
“The President must be alive to his responsibility and act decisively by removing the Director-General of NAFDAC and the heads of other failed regulatory agencies, including SON, and appointing competent leadership capable of restoring effective regulation and enforcement,” he said.
Adeyanju urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency over counterfeit and substandard drugs and other products.
He also called for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s regulatory system, saying Nigerians should not continue to bear the consequences of regulatory failures.
The demands come despite NAFDAC’s reported enforcement activities. The agency said it had seized and destroyed more than N1.5 trillion worth of counterfeit and substandard regulated products since 2023, including over 137 truckloads seized from major markets during coordinated operations in 2025.
In May 2026 alone, NAFDAC said it destroyed counterfeit, expired, substandard and unwholesome regulated products worth more than N1.8 billion in Abuja. The products included medicines, cosmetics, food items, fake insecticides and medical devices.
Despite the seizures and destruction exercises, the continued discovery of suspected counterfeit products has renewed calls for stronger surveillance, enforcement and prosecution.
Adeyanju said the government must go beyond seizures and destruction by overhauling the regulatory system and ensuring that those responsible for producing and distributing dangerous products face sanctions.
