FAKE DRUGS, SUSPECTED COUNTERFEIT FOODS FLOOD THE MARKET: CAN NIGERIA STILL TRUST WHAT IT BUYS?
Nigeria is facing renewed scrutiny over the safety of medicines, foods, beverages and other consumer products as consumers, pharmacists and public health experts raise fresh concerns about suspected counterfeit, substandard and adulterated products.
The worrying part is not simply that some fake products may be circulating. It is that the average Nigerian often cannot tell the difference between a genuine product and a sophisticated counterfeit by simply looking at the packaging.
A medicine can carry a convincing label, batch number and expiry date and still require proper regulatory or laboratory verification before anyone can confidently declare it genuine.
The World Health Organisation estimates that at least one in 10 medical products in low and middle income countries is substandard or falsified. WHO says such products can cause treatment failure, poisoning, antimicrobial resistance and, in serious cases, death.
This is why some of the stories currently circulating online deserve attention, but also caution.
A resident of Kubwa, Abuja, told Nigerian Tribune that an antimalarial she purchased from a major pharmaceutical outlet failed to improve her condition. She later became concerned after hearing about another medicine allegedly found to be substandard during verification. Her own claim could not independently be established by the newspaper.
Similar allegations are emerging from the food and beverage sector.
A seller identified as Nwamaka said customers returned packaged products because of unusual smells, tastes and appearances, despite the products apparently remaining within their printed expiry dates. She said her shop stopped selling one of the products pending clarification.
Again, an unusual smell, taste or appearance does not automatically prove that a product is counterfeit or adulterated. Laboratory examination and regulatory investigation are required.
LAGOS DRUG MARKETS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Residents of Lagos Island have also alleged that some operators within drug markets around Oju Olobun, Enu Owa and Adeniji Adele deal in both genuine and counterfeit medicines.
Residents said NAFDAC has conducted enforcement operations in the area previously, yet allegations of illegal pharmaceutical activity continue to surface.
The bigger question is therefore not simply, “Why are regulators seizing fake drugs?”
The bigger question is, “Why can the same problem keep returning?”
A pharmacist quoted in the report pointed to complex supply chains, price pressure, weak verification and surveillance challenges. In some cases, counterfeit medicines are becoming sophisticated enough to make visual identification extremely difficult.
WHO similarly identifies complex supply chains, weak regulatory systems, inadequate enforcement and informal markets as factors that can allow substandard and falsified medical products to reach consumers.
REGULATORS SAY THEY ARE NOT SLEEPING
NAFDAC says it is strengthening its surveillance and enforcement activities, including plans for a 600 member Pharmacists Reserve Volunteer Programme to provide trained pharmacists who can support regulatory operations across Nigeria.
The idea is significant because regulation cannot remain concentrated in laboratories, ports and government offices. Unsafe products ultimately reach people through markets, pharmacies, hospitals, shops and other points of sale.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has also emphasised proper product labelling and traceability, including manufacturing and expiry dates, batch numbers, manufacturer information, ingredients and other relevant details.
NAFDAC has also issued alerts on suspected counterfeit products, demonstrating that sophisticated counterfeiting is not merely a theoretical problem. WHO continues to report falsified medical products internationally, including recent alerts in 2026.
THE MOST DANGEROUS MYTH
One dangerous assumption is that a medicine that fails to work must automatically be fake.
Not necessarily.
The diagnosis could be wrong. The medicine could be inappropriate. The patient may have a resistant infection. The dose could be incorrect. The illness may require another treatment. Or, indeed, the product could be substandard or falsified.
This distinction matters because accusing a manufacturer, pharmacy or trader of selling counterfeit products without proper evidence can destroy reputations and businesses.
At the same time, dismissing repeated complaints without investigating them can put lives at risk.
Nigeria therefore needs something stronger than occasional raids after fake products have already reached consumers.
We need continuous post market surveillance, stronger laboratory capacity, traceable pharmaceutical supply chains, intelligence led inspections, tougher action against deliberate offenders and faster public alerts when unsafe products are confirmed.
Consumers also have a role.
Buy medicines from properly registered medicine outlets and healthcare professionals. Keep receipts and packaging where possible. Do not rely solely on social media photographs to determine whether a product is genuine. Report suspicious medicines or products to the appropriate regulator rather than simply forwarding allegations online.
The real revolution will not be when NAFDAC seizes another truckload of fake drugs.
It will be when Nigeria builds a system where counterfeiters find it increasingly difficult to manufacture, import, distribute and sell dangerous products without being detected.
Until then, the question remains painfully simple:
When a Nigerian walks into a shop or pharmacy and pays for a product carrying a legitimate looking label, can the system guarantee that what is inside is actually what the label promises?
That is the question regulators, manufacturers, healthcare professionals and consumers must answer.
