Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently declare a state of emergency on the proliferation of counterfeit drugs and substandard consumer products in Nigeria, warning that regulatory failure is putting millions of lives at risk.
Adeyanju described the alarming prevalence of fake medicines and unsafe goods as evidence of a “complete collapse of regulation in critical sectors,” noting that Nigerians are daily exposed to dangerous products, including drugs openly sold under harsh conditions in markets.
He accused the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of failing to curb the menace, while also faulting the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other regulatory bodies for neglecting their responsibilities.
“No responsible government should expose its citizens to such risks and expect mortality rates not to rise,” Adeyanju said, insisting that the President must act decisively by removing the Director-General of NAFDAC and the heads of other failed agencies, and appointing competent leadership capable of restoring effective regulation.
The activist further urged the Federal Government to undertake a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s regulatory framework, stressing that citizens “cannot continue to pay with their lives for regulatory failure.”
Adeyanju’s call is expected to intensify public debate on consumer safety and government accountability, as concerns mount over the unchecked circulation of counterfeit drugs and substandard products across the country.
