On Thursday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) destroyed fake and expired goods worth over N16 billion in Sagamu, Ogun.

The exercise took place at the Oke-Diya dumpsite.

In a speech, the agency’s director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, said the exercise was part of NAFDAC’s renewed efforts to rid the country of unwholesome regulated products to safeguard the populace’s health.

Ms Adeyeye, represented by the agency’s director of investigation and enforcement, Francis Ononiwu, said the exercise had become necessary to prevent the re-introduction of the products into the market.

The NAFDAC boss said the affected products included sub-standard and falsified medical products, unwholesome processed food additives, unsafe cosmetics and counterfeits, and other NAFDAC-regulated products.

She further said the agency seized some of the products from manufacturers, importers and distributors.

“Also up for destruction today are damaged and expired products, voluntarily handed over to the agency by compliant companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations,” she said.

Ms Adeyeye said no fewer than 66 arrests had been made from about 50 raids carried out by the agency against hawkers of drugs across the nation since the beginning of the year.

She also said that products, like codeine, cough syrups, tramadol capsules, aphrodisiacs, analgesics, antibiotics and antimalaria drugs worth N8 million, peddled by hawkers, had also been confiscated by the agency during the same period.

Ms Adeyeye recalled a recent arrest of one Sunday Chibuike, who was charged to court by the agency for producing unregistered alcoholic beverages.

She said Mr Chibuike was concocting alcoholic drinks laced with marijuana and other harmful ingredients, which were packaged and sold as Japata bitters in the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos State.

The NAFDAC boss, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to shun drug peddlers on the streets and patronise registered medicine stores.

Ms Adeyeye, who commended the judiciary for its continued support, advocated stiffer sanctions to check the menace because of its continued dangers to society.

She urged the National Assembly to speedily pass the Counterfeit Medical Products Bill to strengthen the agency’s fight against counterfeiting.

(NAN)