From Adulterated Palm Oil to Fake Toothpaste, Nigeria’s Counterfeit Product Crisis Deepens Despite NAFDAC Crackdowns
Growing public concern over counterfeit and substandard consumer products, ranging from adulterated palm oil and waterlogged chicken to fake toothpaste, is putting renewed pressure on Nigerian regulators, even as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) reports seizures of counterfeit goods worth more than N1.1 trillion from major markets in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba.
Health professionals have continued to warn that exposure to counterfeit consumer products, even from a single use, can cause harm that lingers for months, particularly where fake items contain incorrect dosages, harmful additives, or outright toxic substances in place of genuine ingredients. Consumer advocates say the danger extends well beyond pharmaceuticals to everyday household items, with reports of adulterated cooking oils, poorly preserved or waterlogged poultry products, and counterfeit personal care items such as toothpaste and soap increasingly showing up in open markets and informal retail outlets across the country.
NAFDAC’s enforcement records show that the agency has intensified raids on some of Nigeria’s largest product distribution hubs in recent years, including the Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Eziukwu Market in Aba, and the Idumota Open Drug Market and Trade Fair Complex in Lagos. An analysis of the agency’s operations shows that seizures and enforcement activities during recent sweeps involved products valued at more than N1.1 trillion, with well over 100 trailer loads of counterfeit, expired, and substandard goods evacuated from these locations in coordinated operations that, in some cases, involved support from the Nigerian military. At Idumota alone, more than 3,000 shops, warehouses, and packing stores were screened and sealed during one such operation.
Beyond pharmaceuticals, NAFDAC has also recorded a steady stream of seizures involving counterfeit consumer goods, including a raid at a warehouse within the Lagos Trade Fair Complex that uncovered banned and unregistered cosmetic products worth over N3 billion, alongside cooking oils, perfumes, and body care items. Separately, the agency issued public warnings earlier in the year after inspectors traced counterfeit toothpaste, deceptively packaged and labelled to resemble a well-known brand, to a retail outlet, prompting a directive to zonal directors nationwide to intensify monitoring and remove similar fake products from circulation.
Despite the scale of these enforcement efforts, critics argue that regulatory oversight of informal and street-level sellers remains inadequate, allowing counterfeit goods to continue circulating widely even after major market raids. Consumer advocates have called for stricter licensing requirements for retailers and distributors, alongside sustained public education campaigns to help shoppers better identify counterfeit products before purchase. NAFDAC officials, including the agency’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, have repeatedly urged Nigerians to avoid purchasing regulated products sold at suspiciously low prices and to report suspected counterfeit or substandard goods to the nearest NAFDAC office or through the agency’s dedicated hotline.
As the campaign against counterfeit products continues, stakeholders are increasingly urging genuine manufacturers and brand owners to take a more active role in publicly flagging counterfeit versions of their products, while encouraging consumers to remain vigilant and carefully inspect packaging, batch numbers, and registration details before buying everyday household and personal care items.
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