Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the growing circulation of fake and substandard drugs and consumer products across Nigeria, warning that regulatory failure is costing lives.
Adeyanju's Warning on Regulatory Collapse
In a strongly worded statement, Adeyanju described the current situation as a complete collapse of oversight, pointing to reports of medicines being sold in the open under direct sunlight as evidence of how dire conditions have become. He argued that no responsible government should leave its citizens exposed to such dangers without acting.
NAFDAC and SON Under Fire
Adeyanju singled out the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as incapable of containing the problem, and extended his criticism to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other agencies responsible for consumer protection. He called on President Tinubu to remove the Director-General of NAFDAC along with the heads of other regulatory bodies he described as having failed Nigerians, and to replace them with leaders who can restore effective enforcement.
"The President must be alive to his responsibility and act decisively by removing the Director-General of NAFDAC and the heads of other failed regulatory agencies, including SON, and appointing competent leadership capable of restoring effective regulation and enforcement," Adeyanju said.
State of Emergency Demanded
Beyond the leadership changes, Adeyanju pressed the Federal Government to conduct a full review of Nigeria's regulatory framework, saying the existing system has proven inadequate. "The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and products and undertake a comprehensive review of the country's regulatory system," he said.
He added that Nigerians "cannot continue to pay with their lives for regulatory failure," framing the issue as one of public health and government accountability. The call adds to longstanding concerns about the quality of medicines and consumer goods circulating in Nigerian markets, a challenge that NAFDAC has publicly acknowledged in past years without fully resolving.
