Unwholesome foods and products worth N515.73 million have been destroyed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in the North-East.

NAFDAC’s spokesman, Olusayo Akintola, stated on Sunday that the destruction was carried out in Gombe. He added that the agency’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, was represented at the exercise by the NAFDAC Coordinator in Bauchi State, Dayilim Josephine.

He quoted the NAFDAC boss as saying “the agency will not rest on its oars until Nigerian markets are rid of fake and substandard foods, drugs, falsified medicines and dangerous cosmetics.”

Mrs Adeyeye said that the exercise commenced with receiving the items for destruction from the North-East zonal states, Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba.

She commended the collaborative efforts of sister agencies like Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NDLEA and DSS, among others, toward the realisation of NAFDAC’s mandate.

She said that counterfeit products were inimical to the health and well-being of the people.

She added that the destruction of the products was in line with the agency’s strategies aimed at eradicating the reintroduction of the fake drugs.

“Products destroyed were made up of substandard and falsified medicines, unwholesome processed food products, unsafe cosmetics and other counterfeit regulated products seized from importers and manufacturers.

“Also destroyed were expired NAFDAC regulated products, which were voluntarily handed over to the agency by complaint companies including GSK Pharma, Ogba, Lagos and Non-Governmental Organisations within the zone.

“The estimated street value of the products destroyed was N515,732,587. The products destroyed included various quantities of medicines such as antibiotics, herbal remedies, psychoactive and anti-diabetic drugs.

“Foods such as noodles, palm oil, vegetable oil, ogogoro (local gin), non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, among others, were part of the products destroyed,” she said.

The NAFDAC boss also announced that the public should be aware that counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines were now in circulation in Africa, noting that NAFDAC would ensure continuous surveillance of products.

(NAN)