The Senate of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for urgent action against the circulation of suspected counterfeit drugs, adulterated food and other unsafe consumable products across Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NANS Senate President, Ibeabuchi Moses Onyia, expressed concern over the sale of such products in markets, by roadside vendors and through online platforms, questioning the effectiveness of existing regulatory measures.
The association cited reports of suspected counterfeit toothpaste, dyed palm oil, artificially enhanced fruits, fake soy sauce and olive oil, as well as suspected adulterated yoghurt, as evidence of the need for stronger monitoring and enforcement.
NANS also urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and other regulatory bodies to strengthen surveillance of social media and e-commerce platforms, where drugs, supplements, cosmetics and food products are increasingly sold.
The students referenced former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s recent account of his wife’s experience after consuming freshly squeezed orange juice, which he said was later found through testing to be unfit for human consumption.
NANS said the situation went beyond public health, describing fake drugs and adulterated food as threats to the nation’s human capital and economic development.
“Fake drugs do not merely fail to cure; they kill. Adulterated food and consumables do not merely disappoint; they poison bodies, damage organs, and cut short the productive years of citizens who should be building this nation,” the association said.
It described the situation as “a development crisis, a security crisis, and a moral emergency” and called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what it described as regulatory failures at NAFDAC and related agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
The association demanded an independent audit of the agencies’ enforcement capacity, mandatory verification of online vendors selling food, drugs and consumables, stronger action against counterfeiters and adulterators, and regular public disclosure of enforcement outcomes.
“Nigerian students will not stand by while our peers, our families, and our future are poisoned by criminals operating in plain sight because the agency meant to stop them has grown comfortable with failure,” NANS said.
It urged the President to pursue “decisive, verifiable reform,” stressing that the safety and health of Nigerians were critical to the country’s future.