Ngozi Ezeonu Raises Alarm Over Fake Drugs and Food Products in Nigeria

Veteran actress Ngozi Ezeonu has added her voice to the growing concern over fake and unsafe products in Nigeria, warning that the quest for profit must not be at the cost of human lives.

Ezeonu, in a video that has gone viral, lamented the health implications of counterfeit medicines and food items, noting the rising cases of organ failure among young people.

“I don’t understand what’s happening in this country anymore. When you go to hospitals, you see young people dying with kidney problems, liver problems, because everything is fake.
“I know we have to look for money and be rich, but not at the detriment of lives. We shouldn’t be our own enemy,” she said.

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She appealed to regulatory bodies including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, to step up monitoring and enforcement to protect Nigerians
Her warning comes days after fellow actress Ruth Kadiri also raised a similar alarm over the proliferation of counterfeit goods in the country.

Kadiri, in a video shared on Instagram, had called on NAFDAC to intensify crackdown on fake products, warning that contaminated food, drinks, medicines and cosmetics now pose a direct threat to human life.

“Every day, people buy food, drinks, medicines, cosmetics, household products, believing that they’re safe, but sadly, they are poorly produced, contaminated, harmful, and mostly fake. This isn’t a business problem; it’s a threat to human life,” Kadiri had said, recounting how garlic she bought turned green shortly after blending.