The fake products slowly killing Nigerians
September 9, 2026 4:36 am
There is a serious crisis on our hands as a nation beyond insecurity, high fuel prices and poor power supply. It is the danger posed by merchants of deaths that specialise in producing fakes. There is absolutely nothing that these unscrupulous persons cannot fake to make money at the expense of people’s health.
Wherever you turn, whether a supermarket, pharmacy, roadside stall, or market, they are there staring you in the face. There are fake medicines that will, instead of healing the sick, end up causing more harm. There is fake toothpaste, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, food products, cosmetics, supplements, baby products, and other household items. I saw a trending video of some men stamping some cartons. They were said to be producing counterfeits of a popular television brand. I have also seen videos of those said to be brewing fake drinks ranging from malt to alcoholic beverages in very unhygienic environments.
The frightening aspect is that many of these products are deliberately packaged to look genuine. A consumer may therefore have no idea that what he or she is putting into the mouth, applying to the body, or giving to a child is not what it claims to be.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has been issuing alerts and recalls involving substandard, falsified and unregistered products, but whether it is doing enough is another issue entirely. The agency’s legal framework prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of counterfeit, adulterated, banned, fake, substandard, or expired drugs and unwholesome processed foods. To me, this means that the problem is serious enough to have specific laws addressing it. The question then is, why does this illicit trade continue to flourish?
Those behind fake medicines appear to be the most heartless among their co-criminals manufacturing fakes. Imagine somebody diagnosed with malaria taking what he believes is an authentic antimalarial drug, only to discover that the medicine contains little or none of the required active ingredient. The patient may not recover.
In fact, it will only take heartless persons to produce fakes of whatever goes into people’s mouths. Toothpaste is something people use every morning and night, often without a second thought, but serious concerns have been raised about adulterated toothpaste. Nigerians consume soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, fruit drinks and other beverages daily. Fake versions can be difficult for the ordinary consumer to identify, especially when bottles, labels, and seals are cleverly reproduced.
Fake food is particularly dangerous because consumption is unavoidable. Adulterated milk, cooking oil, spices, beverages and other food items can expose entire families to harmful substances. Children, pregnant women, older people and those with underlying illnesses can be particularly vulnerable.
Creams, soaps, lotions, perfumes and other products are also vulnerable to adulteration. Products applied repeatedly to the skin can expose users to harmful substances over time.
The negative impact of fakes is huge on the populace. The consequences depend on what has been falsified or adulterated, the contaminant involved, the quantity consumed, and the length of exposure. Some consumers may experience no immediate symptoms, which makes the problem even more dangerous. Others may suffer poisoning, liver or kidney problems, treatment failure, and, in severe cases, death.
Counterfeiters are becoming more daring every day. They have also become sophisticated to the extent that most consumers cannot distinguish the genuine product from the fake one simply by looking at it. They perfectly copy packaging, reproduce logos, and manipulate barcodes and registration numbers.
There is an argument that poverty helps the counterfeit market. Those who belong to this school of thought argue that with many Nigerians struggling with the cost of living, when a genuine product costs N10,000 and someone offers what appears to be the same product for N6,000, the temptation to buy cheaper is understandable. Families struggling to feed themselves may prioritise price over authenticity, just like patients who cannot afford medicines from reputable pharmacies may turn to cheaper informal sources. Counterfeiters are believed to be exploiting this desperation.
The truth is that NAFDAC cannot fight and win this battle alone. The agency has an enormous responsibility, but it cannot inspect every shop, market, warehouse, pharmacy, online seller, and roadside stall every day. Nigerians must learn to say something when they see something. NAFDAC has a platform for reporting suspected falsified products and allows people to submit information, including photographs and evidence. Nigerians must utilise this opportunity.
Law enforcement agencies also have their roles cut out for them. Fake products must be removed from circulation quickly, and manufacturers and distributors involved must face serious sanctions.
Border control is also critical because some counterfeit products enter through Nigeria’s borders. The Nigeria Customs Service, NAFDAC, security agencies, and other relevant authorities need better intelligence-sharing. Counterfeiters should not be allowed to exploit porous borders and weak enforcement.
Genuine manufacturers also have a responsibility to protect their brands and their consumers. They should invest in anti-counterfeiting technology because easily verifiable authentication systems can help consumers establish whether a product is genuine. They should cooperate with NAFDAC and law enforcement when counterfeits are discovered and educate consumers on how to identify genuine products.
Consumers also have a role to play. Nigerians should avoid buying medicines from unlicensed sources. They should be suspicious of products that are ridiculously cheaper than the normal market price. I am, however, not arguing that consumer vigilance should replace effective regulation.
The reality is that the fake-product business is both an economic crime and an attack on public health. Nigerians should not have to gamble with their health. They are already facing expensive healthcare; they should not also face the additional burden of becoming sick because the products they bought were fake.
There is something disturbing about a society where a person can buy toothpaste to clean his teeth, food to feed his family, or medicine to save his life and end up purchasing something that could harm him. The fight against fake products is therefore a fight against counterfeiters and a fight to protect the health and lives of Nigerians. The government must win this fight because the price of losing it is being paid in damaged organs, failed treatments, and, in the worst cases, deaths.
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