Veteran Nollywood actress Ngozi Ezeonu has called out people who make money from fake drugs, baby formula and other counterfeit products, as more big names in the industry push NAFDAC to answer for what is sold in Nigerian markets.
In a video she shared on Instagram this week, Ezeonu said she no longer understands what is happening in the country. She spoke of young people she has seen deteriorating in hospitals with kidney and liver problems, and of patients who take the drugs they are prescribed and still do not get better.
She also pointed to children’s products, saying fake versions of common drinks and baby formula are now in circulation.
Speaking directly to the people behind it, she said, “If you are one of the people doing fake drugs, please stop.” She told Nigerians they have to make money, but not at the cost of lives. “We shouldn’t be our own enemy,” she said.
Ezeonu appealed to NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to monitor the market more closely and enforce the rules more strictly.
The video comes in the middle of a heated public argument about who is responsible. On Monday, NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Adeyeye told BusinessDay TV that many Nigerians do not read labels or understand what the agency is responsible for, saying at one point that “we are very ignorant.”
She explained that NAFDAC regulates processed and semi-processed foods, while fresh produce falls under the Ministry of Agriculture.