Declare state of emergency on fake drugs, sack NAFDAC, SON chiefs – Adeyanju urges Tinubu

Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and other products in Nigeria.

Adeyanju said the widespread circulation of fake and unsafe products showed a serious failure of regulation in critical sectors, warning that Nigerians were being exposed to dangerous medicines and consumer goods.

In a statement, Adeyanju expressed concern over reports of drugs being sold in wholesale quantities in open markets and under direct sunlight, describing the situation as a major threat to public health.

He said the government could not continue to expose citizens to such risks while expecting the country’s mortality rate not to increase.

According to him, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has failed to effectively contain the spread of counterfeit and substandard products.

Adeyanju also raised concerns about the performance of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and other regulatory agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting consumers.

He urged President Tinubu to remove the Director-General of NAFDAC and the heads of other regulatory agencies he described as having failed in their duties, including SON.

Adeyanju said competent individuals should be appointed to lead the agencies and strengthen regulation, monitoring and enforcement across the country.

He further called on the Federal Government to urgently declare a state of emergency on the proliferation of fake and substandard drugs and products.

The activist also demanded a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s regulatory framework, stressing that citizens should not continue to lose their lives as a result of regulatory failures.

“Nigerians cannot continue to pay with their lives for regulatory failure,” he said.