The National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated more than 10,000
cartons of unregistered tomato paste and cosmetic products during a
five-day enforcement operation at the Lagos Trade Fair Market.
The raid, led by NAFDAC’s Investigation and
Enforcement Directorate, focused on the cosmetics section of the market as part
of the agency’s sustained campaign to rid Nigerian markets of harmful,
falsified, and unregulated goods.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the Director of
Investigation and Enforcement, Dr. Martins Iluyomade, listed the seized
items to include tomato paste, body creams, soaps, body sprays, washes, air
fresheners, and toothpaste.
“We cannot guarantee the safety of these products
because they have not undergone any regulatory scrutiny,” Iluyomade said.
“Removing such harmful products from circulation is one way to safeguard public
health before they cause deaths among unsuspecting Nigerians. Deaths from
substandard medicines, cosmetics, and unsafe foods exceed those caused by Boko
Haram.”
Iluyomade stressed that all products must undergo
proper registration and approval before being sold to consumers, warning
that offenders will face strict penalties.
He also revealed that a newly inaugurated multi-agency
task force will strengthen nationwide surveillance against substandard
medicines and unsafe processed foods.
Highlighting NAFDAC’s partnership with the Nigeria
Customs Service, Iluyomade noted that the collaboration has resulted in
multiple interceptions of falsified and unregistered goods at the nation’s
borders.
“Our Memorandum of Understanding with Customs is
yielding results, as many fake products seized by them are handed over to us,
and vice versa,” he added.
The Director urged business owners to take advantage
of NAFDAC’s decentralised registration process to verify and register
their products, assuring that the agency will sustain its nationwide clampdown
on unregistered, substandard, and expired goods.
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